Three tiny fox cubs have been mesmerising visitors to a zoo in Japan.

The Fennec Fox cubs were born on May 17 at the Sunshine City Aquarium in Tokyo but only made their public debuts at the weekend.

Families gathered outside the enclosure to watch the zookeeper feed the cubs with their distinctive big ears and to watch them scamper around.

The desert foxes were being raised by humans because their mother had not been able to take care of them herself.

"Their parents were raising them well at the start, but became unable to do so. So, ten days after birth we moved them and put them under human care," explained Chieko Suzuki, the zookeeper who has been taking care of the foxes.

The cubs each weighed only 0.076lb (38g) when they were born but when fully grown, the foxes can be up to 2.46ft long (75cm) long including their tails and weigh up to 3lb (1.5kg).

Fennec Foxes normally give birth only once a year and almost never to more than five cubs.

The fox's unique looks serve a practical purpose in its natural habit - the Sahara Desert of North Africa.

"These large ears are the Fennec's distinguishing feature. While they are of course used for hearing things, since they live in the desert, these big ears and all of the blood vessels in the ear are used to disperse heat," said Ms Suzuki.

As well as sand-coloured coats, the foxes also have fur on the underside of their paws so that they can walk across hot desert sand without getting their feet scorched.

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