Jarod+Hickman+Red+Fox

Jarod Hickman Red Fox

[|__http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/red-fox/?source=A-to-Z__]

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Introduction The red fox's resourcefulness has earned it a legendary reputation for intelligence and cunning. Foxes belong to the dog family, which includes wolves, coyotes, grey foxes, raccoon dogs and their relatives. They were introduced to Australia in the mid-19th century and are native to Europe, Asia and North Africa. Over the centuries the fox has been hunted for its fur and its’ tail cut-off which is used as the hunters trophy, known as a brush. Fox Hunting was banned in Scotland in 2008.

Description The fox’s thick tail makes it unbalanced sometimes. A fox uses its tail as a warm cover in cold weather. It’s tail also acts as a signal flag to communicate with other foxes. Fox’s also signal each other by leaving clumps of fur at the edges of their territory. The red fox is the largest of the [|true foxes] and the most abundant wild member of the [|Carnivora]. The red fox originated from bigger-sized ancestors from [|Eurasia] during the [|Middle Villafranchian period]. Did you know that foxes have whiskers on their legs as well as around their faces, which they use to help them find their way?

Diet

The red fox eats a wide variety of foods. Red foxes are solitary hunters who feed on rodents, rabbits, birds, and other small game. The red fox will continue to hunt even when it is full. It stores extra food under leaves, snow or dirt. Many people don't know this but Red Foxes will eat fruit and vegetables, fish, frogs, and even worms. If living among humans, foxes will opportunistically dine on garbage and pet food. Fox’s also eat candy.

Habitat Red foxes live around the world in many diverse habitats including forests, grasslands, mountains, and deserts. The red fox makes its home in wooded areas, prairies and farmland. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">They also adapt well to human environments such as farms, suburban areas, and even large communities. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">A fox’s den is normally a burrow underground, also known as an ‘earth’, but they can also live above ground in a cozy hollow.

Interesting facts <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">The fox does not chew its food. Instead it uses its carnassial or shearing teeth to cut the meat into manageable chunks. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">Foxes have also been known to climb trees and settle on low branches. The red fox is mostly nocturnal, although it will sometimes venture out in the day. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; vertical-align: baseline;">The red fox, unlike other mammals, hears high-frequency sounds very well.

Mating <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;"> In winter fox’s mate. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5;">You can hear the mating calls, which is a sharp, high-pitched shrieking/screaming noise, which can sound terrifying. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">The vixen, female, typically gives birth to a litter of 2 to 12 pups. At birth, red foxes are actually white. A new red coat usually grows in by the end of the first month, but some red foxes are golden, reddish-brown, silver, or even black. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">Out of every batch of red foxes at least one Silver Fox is born in this batch. The female will make one or more dens right after mating. The extra dens are used if the original den is disturbed. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5;">The cubs’ eyes and ears open after three weeks and at four weeks they will emerge from their dens. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; vertical-align: baseline;">The kits leave their mother when they are about five months old.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hunting <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">They catch small rodents with a high pounce. This technique is one of the first things cubs learn as they begin to hunt. Foxes are great night-time predators because their eyes are specially adapted to night vision. Behind the light sensitive cells lies another layer called the tapetum lucidum which reflects light back through the eye. This doubles the intensity of images received by the fox. Their eyes glow green when light is shone into them at night.