South American fox South American fox The South American foxes ("Lycalopex"), commonly called "raposa" in Portuguese, or "zorro" in Spanish, are a genus of the family Canidae from South America. Despite their name, they are not true foxes, but are a unique canid genus related to wolves and jackals, which some somewhat resemble foxes due to convergent evolution. The South American gray fox, "Lycalopex griseus", is the most common species, and is known for its large ears and a highly marketable, russet-fringed pelt. The oldest known fossils belonging to the genus were discovered in Chile, and date from 2.0 to 2.5 million years
Fox hunting of between square kilometres () in good terrain, although in poor terrain, their range can be as much as . The red fox can run at up to . The fox is also variously known as a "Tod" (old English word for fox), "Reynard" (the name of an anthropomorphic character in European literature from the twelfth century), or "Charlie" (named for the Whig politician Charles James Fox). American red foxes tend to be larger than European forms, but according to foxhunters' accounts, they have less cunning, vigour and endurance in the chase than European foxes. Other species than the red