120 days: that’s all the time it takes for Rüppell's Fox to break free from the chains of parental care and become an independent mammal. The big wide world awaits, full of small animals, insects, fruit and human trash to eat, and the fox isn’t about to waste any time. That’s pretty impressive given that young Rüppell's Foxes are born blind.

After reaching independence, they may travel up to 48 kilometres in search of their perfect home. Named after the German collector Eduard Rüppell, this species lives in North Africa and the Middle East, from Morocco and the Sahel region to the Afghanistan hills. Like its other desert-dwelling cousin the Fennec Fox, Rüppell's fox has large ears to keep it cool in warm climates.