Fox
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- This article is about the animal. For other uses of the term, see Fox (disambiguation).
Fox is a general term applied to any of canids (Family Canidae in order Carnivora) comprising the tribe vulpini, resembling a small to medium sized dog with a bushy tail, and characterized by upright pointed ears, pointed snout, and omnivorous diet. There are about 27 species of foxes in about 9 genera. The term also may be limited to those mammals in the genus Vulpes, the "true foxes."
By far the most common species of fox is the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), although different species are found on almost every continent. The presence of fox-like carnivores (order Carnivora) all over the globe has led to their appearance in the popular culture and folklore of many nations, tribes, and other cultural groups.
Like all animals, foxes fulfill a larger purpose while advancing their own individual purpose of survival, maintenance, and reproduction. Ecologically, as apex predators, they play an important role in food chains, keeping populations of prey species under control and thus aiding the balance of nature.
Overview
The Canidae (′kanə′dē) family is a part of the order Carnivora within the mammals (Class Mammalia). Members of the family are called canids and include dogs, wolves, and foxes. The Canidae family is divided into the "true dogs" (or canines) of the tribe Canini and the "foxes" of the tribe Vulpini. The two species of the basal Caninae are more primitive and do not fit into either tribe.
Like most other members of the Carnivora order, canids are adapted for a life of hunting and eating other animals. (Most also scavenge and many eat plant foods as well.) Their senses of hearing and smell are especially acute. Their bodies are lithe and muscular and (in most cases) their legs are long, which gives them speed and endurance to run down prey. Their jaws and teeth are large well suited for grasping, biting, and tearing flesh.
Canids are digitigrade, which means that they walk on their toes. Most species have four toes on the hind feet and five on the fore feet. Their claws are blunt and help give them traction in running but are not used to fight or to grasp prey, unlike those of most other carnivores—including members of the Felidae, or cat family.
Most canids are covered with thick fur, which protects them in both heat and cold. Exceptions are the African hunting dog (Lycaon pictus), whose fur is sparse, and some breeds of domestic dog, which can be hairless. In most species, the fur is a solid color, without spots or stripes. The fur of the Arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) and the corsac fox (Vulpes corsac) changes color depending on the season. Almost all canids have a long, fur-covered tail.
In general, canids are thought to be among the most intelligent animals. The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and the coyote (Canis latrans) especially have reputations in folklore of being "clever" and "wily."
Wild canids range in size from the fennec (Fennecus zerda), which weighs 1 to 1.5 kg (2.2 to 3.3 lbs), to the gray wolf (Canis lupus), which weigh as much as 80 kg (175 lbs)(Nowak 1983). Some breeds of domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) can be either smaller and larger than these.
Almost all canids are social animals and live together in groups. In most foxes and in many of the true dogs, a male and female pair will work together to hunt and to raise their young. Gray wolves and some of the other larger canids live in larger groups called packs.
General characteristics
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Most foxes live 2 to 3 years but can survive for up to 10 years, or even longer, in captivity. Foxes are generally smaller than other members of the family Canidae such as wolves, jackals, and domestic dogs. Fox-like features typically include an acute muzzle (a "fox face") and bushy tail. Other physical characteristics vary according to their habitat. For example, the Desert Fox has large ears and short fur, whereas the Arctic Fox has small ears and thick, insulating fur. Another example is the Red Fox which has a typical auburn pelt ending normally with white marking.
Unlike many canids, foxes are usually not pack animals. Typically, they are solitary, opportunistic feeders that hunt live prey (especially rodents). Using a pouncing technique practiced from an early age, they are usually able to kill their prey quickly. Foxes also gather a wide variety of other foods ranging from grasshoppers to fruit and berries.
Foxes are normally extremely wary of humans and are not kept as pets (with the exception of the Fennec); however, the Silver Fox was successfully domesticated in Russia after a 45 year selective breeding program. This selective breeding also resulted in physical traits appearing that are frequently seen in domestic cats, dogs, and other animals: pigmentation changes, floppy ears, and curly tails.[1]
Etymology
The Modern English "fox" is derived from Old English with the same spelling, the Old English word itself comes from the Proto-Germanic word "*fukh", compare German "Fuchs", Gothic "fauho", Old Norse "foa" and Dutch "vos", which corresponds to the Proto-Indo-European word "*puk" meaning "tail" (compare Sanskrit "puccha" meaning "tail" as well). The bushy tail is also the source of words for "fox" in Welsh ("llwynog", from "llwyn" meaning "bush").
Classification
Foxes include members of the following genera:
- Alopex (Arctic Fox, sometimes included with the "true" foxes in genus Vulpes)
- Cerdocyon (Crab-eating Fox)
- Chrysocyon (Maned Wolf in English, "Big Fox" in Guarani and "Reddish Fox" in Spanish)
- Dusicyon (Falkland Island Fox)
- Lycalopex (Hoary Fox)
- Otocyon (Bat-eared Fox)
- Pseudalopex (four South American species, including the Culpeo)
- Urocyon (Gray Fox, Island Fox and Cozumel Fox)
- Vulpes (the ten or so species of "true" foxes, including the Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes)
Vocalization
Foxes do not come together in chorus like wolves or coyotes. Fox families, however, keep in contact with a wide array of different sounds. These sounds grade into one another and span five octaves; each fox has its own characteristically individual voice. Fox noises can be divided, with a few exceptions, into two different groups: contact sounds and interaction sounds. The former is used by foxes communicating over long distances, the latter in close quarters.
- "Wow-wow-wow"
- The best-known vulpine noise is a sort of barking that spans three to five syllables. "Conversations" made up of these noises often occur between widely spaced foxes. As their distance decreases, the sound becomes quieter. A cub is greeted with the quietest version of this sound.
- The alarm bark
- This monosyllabic sound is made by an adult to warn kits of danger. From far away it sounds like a sharp bark, but at closer range it resembles a muffled cough, like a football rattle or a stick along a picket fence.
- Gekkering
- This is a stuttering, throaty noise made at aggressive encounters. It is most frequently heard in the courting season, or when kits are at play.
- The vixen's wail
- This is a long, drawn-out, monosyllabic, and rather eerie wail most commonly made during the breeding season; it is widely thought that it is made by a vixen in heat summoning dog-foxes. Contrary to common belief, however, it is also made by the males, evidently serving some other purpose as well. This noise fits into neither the contact nor the interaction group.
Conservation
Foxes are readily found in cities and cultivated areas and (depending upon species) seem to adapt reasonably well to human presence.
Red foxes have been introduced into Australia and some other countries for hunting. Australia lacks similar carnivores, and introduced foxes prey on native wildlife, some to the point of extinction. A similar introduction occurred in the 16-1700's in America, where European Reds (Vulpes vulpes) were brought to the colonies for fox hunting, where they decimated the American red fox (Vulpes veloxi) population through more aggressive hunting and breeding. Interbreeding with American Reds, European Red's traits eventually pervaded the genepool, leaving European and American foxes now virtually identical.
Other fox species do not adapt as well as the European red fox, and are endangered in their native environments. Key among these are the Crab-Eating fox and the African Bat-Eared fox. Other foxes such as fennecs, are not endangered, but will be if humans encroach further into their habitat.
Foxes can also be helpful for agricultural purposes. They have been successfully employed to control pests on fruit farms, where they leave the fruit intact.[1]
Historians believe foxes have been imported into non-native environments long before the colonial era. The first example of the introduction of the fox into a new habitat by humans seems to be Neolithic Cyprus. Stone carvings representing foxes have been found in the early settlement of Göbekli Tepe in eastern Turkey.
See also
- Tame Silver Fox
- Fox hunting
- Violet gland
- Foxes in fiction
- Fox games
- Kitsune
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- ↑ http://reactor-core.org/taming-foxes.html Early Canid Domestication: The Fox Farm Experiment
External links
- Fox sound files.
- The Fox Forest, information on red foxes.
- Webvos, lots of information about redfoxes.
- Australian Department of the Environment and Heritage fact sheet, 2004
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