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Cuteness Overload: Meet the World’s Smallest Wild Canine

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The massive Sahara Desert covers 6% of the world’s land. But the world’s smallest wild dog stakes its claim there. (And, after this video, in your heart.)

The fennec fox is “about the size of a walking boot,” as the BBC puts it. And most of that seems to be auditory organs.

These diminutive but cunning desert dwellers use their huge ears, among other specially adapted body parts, to diffuse the heat in the Sahara desert — nearly their only habitat on earth.

Catch a glimpse into this tiny canine’s bizarre world in this short, informative, and irresistibly cute video. Find out why, for instance, they always dig their burrows at the base of a dune. And why the bottoms of their paws are furry.

Mostly, though, just watch these cute little xerocoles scamper around in the sand. It’s enough to make you wish you lived in a hole in the ground too.

Runtime: 4 minutes

How to Unite a Pack of African Wild Dogs (Hint: It's Real Weird)

Wildlife biologist Wes Larson is known for his work with bears in North America, but in this short vid, he helps a South African wildlife biologist unite a new pack of wild dogs. Read more…

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