fox

Fox is a general term applied to any one of roughly 27 species of small to medium-sized omnivorous canids with sharp features and a brush-like tail. The animal most commonly called a "fox" in the Western world is the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), although different species are found on almost every continent. The presence of fox-like carnivores all over the globe has led to their appearance in the popular culture and folklore of many nations, tribes, and other cultural groups.

Fox terminology is different from that used for most canids. Male foxes are known as dogs, tods, vixes (plural of vix), or reynards, females are referred to as vixens, and their young are called kits or cubs, as well as pups. A group of foxes is a skulk.

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") and "fox" in Lithuanian is "uodegis" from "uodega" meaning "tail". In Irish there are two words, the standard "sionnach" but also "madra rua" meaning "red dog".

General characteristics

Most foxes live 2–3 years but can survive for up to 10 years, or longer in captivity. With most species roughly the size of a domestic cat, foxes are 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.

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, although the Silver Fox was successfully domesticated in Russia after a 45 year selective breeding program. However, they are readily found in cities and cultivated areas and (depending upon species of course) seem to adapt reasonably well to human presence.

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)
• Fennecus (Fennec, or Desert 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 cubs 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

Red foxes have been introduced into Australia and some other coutries for hunting. Australia lacks similar carnivores, and introduced foxes predate on native wildlife, some to the point of extinction. On the other hand, a number of fox species are endangered.

Foxes can also be used for helpful environmental 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.

Trivia

Two Norwegian municipalities have a fox in their coat-of-arms: Dyrøy and Vegårshei.

An experiment in domestication where foxes were bred solely for friendliness resulted in physical traits appearing that are frequently seen in domestic cats, dogs, and other animals: pigmentation changes, floppy ears, and curly tails.^[1]