The tail is black on the tip with a marked dark stripe along the upper surface, which in male animals may extend all the way along the back to the nape of the neck.

Together with its slender form, the small size of the hoary fox makes it an agile and fast-running animal, while its relatively weak teeth adapt it to feeding on invertebrates, rather than larger prey.

[4] The hoary fox is endemic to Brazil and its geographic distribution is associated with the limits of the Cerrado ecosystem, in an altitude range of 90–1,100 mm.

[7] The current extension extends from the northeast and west of São Paulo to the north of Piauí, passing through the states of Ceará, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Goiás, Distrito Federal, Minas Gerais, Tocantins, Bahia and probably open regions in the south of the states of Rondônia.

[citation needed] Females usually give birth to two to four pups in August to September, after a gestation period around 50 days.