South American fox
The South American foxes, commonly called raposa in Portuguese, or zorro in Spanish, are a genus from South America of the subfamily Caninae. Despite their name, they are not true foxes, but are a unique canid genus related to wolves and jackals; some of them 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 second-oldest known fossils belonging to the genus were discovered in Chile, and date from 2.0 to 2.5 million years ago, in the mid- to late Pliocene. The Vorohué Formation of Argentina has provided older fossils, dating to the Uquian to Ensenadan.
Names
The common English word "zorro" is a loan word from Spanish, with the word originally meaning "fox". Current usage lists Pseudalopex as synonymous with Lycalopex, with the latter taking precedence. The IUCN, for instance, retains the use of Pseudalopex while also acknowledging Lycalopex as a legitimate alternative. In 1895, Allen classified Pseudalopex as a subgenus of Canis, establishing the combination Canis , a name still used in the fossil record.Species
Species currently included in this genus include:| Image | Name | Common name | Distribution |
| Lycalopex culpaeus | Culpeo or Andean fox | Ecuador and Peru to the southern regions of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego | |
| Lycalopex fulvipes | Darwin's fox | Nahuelbuta National Park, the Valdivian Coastal Range in mainland Chile and Chiloé Island | |
| Lycalopex griseus | South American gray fox | Argentina and Chile | |
| Lycalopex gymnocercus | Pampas fox | northern and central Argentina, Uruguay, eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, and southern Brazil | |
| Lycalopex sechurae | Sechuran fox | west-central, northwestern Peru, including the Sechura Desert, and southwestern Ecuador | |
| Lycalopex vetulus | Hoary fox | south-central Brazil | |
| †Canis australis | Vorohué Formation, :Category:Uquian|Uquian-:Category:Ensenadan|Ensenadan Argentina |
In 1914, Oldfield Thomas established the genus Dusicyon, in which he included these zorros. They were later reclassified to Lycalopex by Langguth in 1975.