a three-pound desert dweller native to the Middle East, sharp-toothed and short-tempered, with enormous ears and dark, soulful eyes
                                                            
                                                     
                        
                                                
                        
                        
                            the world's smallest fox; inhabits the Sahara. The fennec's exceptionally large ears help disperse heat and give it acute hearing.
                                                            
                                                     
                        
                                                
                        
                        
                            The Fennec is a small fox found in the Sahara Desert of North Africa (excluding the coast) which has distinctive oversized ears. Although some authorities classify this as the only species of the genus Fennecus, it is shown here in the genus Vulpes. Its name is derived from the Arabic word for "fox".