The pads of its paws are covered with dense fur, which facilitates walking on hot, sandy soil. The dental formula is 3.1.4.2 3.1.4.3 × 2 = 42 with small and narrow canines. It has dark streaks running from the inner eye to either side of the slender muzzle. The ear to body ratio is the greatest in the canid family and likely helps in dissipating heat and locating vertebrates. The edges of the ears are whitish, but darker on the back. Its long ears have longitudinal reddish stripes on the back and are so densely haired inside that the external auditory meatus is not visible. The fur of the fennec fox is straw-coloured. Its name comes from the species' Arabic name: fanak ( فَنَك). The fennec's fur is prized by the indigenous peoples of North Africa, and in some parts of the world, it is considered an exotic pet. Knowledge of social interactions is limited to information gathered from captive animals. Precise population figures are not known but are estimated from the frequency of sightings these indicate that the fennec is currently not threatened by extinction. Fennec families dig out burrows in the sand for habitation and protection, which can be as large as 120 m 2 (1,292 sq ft) and adjoin the burrows of other families. Its main predators are the Verreaux's eagle-owl, jackals, and other large mammals. The fennec has a life span of up to 14 years in captivity and about 10 years in the wild. It mainly eats insects, small mammals, and birds. Also, its hearing is sensitive to hear prey moving underground.
Its coat, ears, and kidney functions have adapted to the desert environment with high temperatures and little water. The fennec is the smallest canid species. Its most distinctive feature is its unusually large ears, which serve to dissipate heat. The fennec fox ( Vulpes zerda) is a small crepuscular fox native to the Sahara Desert, the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, and the Arava and Negev deserts in Israel.