[4] Corsac foxes are reported to bark during hunting or when threatening rivals, and to use higher pitch yelps or chirps as alarm calls or social greetings.

In the south, their range extends into the more northern parts of Iran, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, and China, and they can also be found in neighbouring regions of Russia.

[2] Three subspecies are currently recognised:[4] These foxes inhabit open grassy steppes and semideserts, and avoid dense vegetation and mountainous regions.

As an adaption to the arid climate in which they live, corsac foxes can forego food and water for extended periods of time.

[9] Natural predators of the corsac fox include gray wolf, Eurasian eagle-owl, eagles, and (rarely, for pups) the upland buzzard.

[8] Because it cannot hunt in deep snow, it either shelters in dens during harsh weather, or, in the northern parts of its range, it migrates up to 600 km (370 mi) south in the winter.

Males will initially fight for access to females, but eventually establish a monogamous bond, and assist in the raising of their young.

The mother initially creates a birthing den, which is sometimes shared with other pregnant females, but moves her young to new burrows several times after they are born.

[14] The immediate ancestor of the corsac fox is believed to be the extinct species Vulpes praecorsac, which lived in central Europe during the early Pleistocene.

[7] Fossils of corsac foxes date back to the mid-Pleistocene, and show the species once reached as far west as Switzerland,[4] and as far south as Crimea.

[17] The major threat posed to the corsac fox is poaching, as it is a valuable fur-bearing species and has been harvested by humans since the Bronze Age for subsistence and commercial purposes.

[2] The other main threat is natural disasters, which can cause the numbers of foxes to drop 90% in some areas,[citation needed] but the population often recovers quickly.