Vulpes vulpes

The common fox or red fox (Vulpes vulpes), also called the fox b> or raboso, is a species of mammal of the canid family, with a Holarctic distribution, although it was also introduced to Australia in the 19th century. It is a silent and very cautious animal, which hunts Especially at night. During the day it remains hidden in the bushes or in its burrows, dug in dry and hidden places, often among rocks, grassy ravines and thickets.

Its scientific name, Vulpes vulpes, is a tautology of the Latin word vulpes, meaning 'fox'. Its most common coloration in nature is reddish brown, although there are totally or partially melanistic individuals, almost black or gray in color. The latter are called silver foxes and are bred in captivity for fur.

The common fox is the most abundant fox species in the northern hemisphere, where it can live in almost any ecosystem, be it deciduous forest, grassland, steppe, alpine tundra, or taiga. It is a generalist capable of coexisting with more specialized species of fox such as the arctic fox (Alopex lagopus). The red fox is capable of surviving in urbanized areas and densely populated by man.

The fox is present in the mythology of many cultures and also appears in countless stories, fables and movies generally representing cunning and intelligence.

Distribution

Fox (V. v. schrenckii) lying in the snow in Hokkaidō, Japan.

The common fox is now widespread throughout Eurasia and North America, southern Australia, and several populations in North Africa. In Australia the red fox was introduced and is a problem for native species. The introduction occurred around 1850, for hunting purposes.

In North America, the red fox is native to boreal regions and introduced to temperate regions. Fossil records of red foxes exist in northern North America, and one subspecies ranged south of the Rocky Mountains. Foxes introduced into temperate North America derive from European common foxes that were introduced to the southeastern United States between 1650-1750, for use in fox hunting. From there they were also introduced to California to provide fur. for trade. The first introduction is attributed to Robert Brooke, who is said to have imported 24 foxes from England. The introduced European foxes hybridized with the few indigenous individuals in the area, producing a mixed-race population.

Common fox with its summer layer in Denmark.

The common fox is native to the entire Palearctic region, extending from the Iberian Peninsula to Japan. In Africa it is found in the Mediterranean region and along the Nile River. There are three subspecies of common fox in the Indian subcontinent: Vulpes vulpes montana (the Tibetan fox), which is found in Ladakh and the Himalayas, Vulpes vulpes griffithi (the Kashmiri fox) in Jammu and Kashmir except the Ladakh sector, and Vulpes vulpes pusilla (the desert fox) found in the desert of Thar in Rajasthan and in Kutch, Gujarat.

Description

Color variations of the common fox in an exhibition of dissected specimens.

Melanical individuals are called Silver foxes.

American (American)V. v. fulvus) with its winter layer.

Exemplar of Vulpes vulpes anatolica.

Vulpes vulpes crucigera.

It is a small canid species, although it is the largest of the genus Vulpes: the true foxes. Adult common fox specimens weigh from 3.6 to 7.6 kg depending on the region where they live, being those that live in more northern latitudes greater than those that live in the south, according to Bergmann's Rule; foxes living in Canada and Alaska tend to be larger than those living in the United Kingdom, which in turn are larger than those living in the southern United States. The largest individuals can weigh over 14 kg. The head-body length ranges from 46 to 90 cm, with a tail of about 55 cm. Foxes show some sexual dimorphism, with males being 15% larger than females. Their size can be estimated by fingerprints. Common fox tracks are on average 4.4 cm wide and 5.7 cm long. The normal distance between trotting steps for a fox is between 33 to 38 cm.

The common fox is generally reddish in color, with black ear tips and black leg tips, with a bushy tail tipped white, as is its belly. This red hue can vary from reddish brown to orange-red, but the range of colors of its fur is wide and can be ocher, gray and even black and white, and although its upper layer is usually more or less uniform, it can present spots and stripes. Gray and black foxes, which in fur trade are called silver foxes, make up approximately 10% in the wild, but they are the color variety that is bred the most in captivity. About 30% have other dark color patterns, such as spots on the face, thighs, or back, or two stripes (one across the shoulders and one down the spine). These are called fur-crossed foxes. In North America the fur of foxes is usually long and soft while European foxes have it shorter and less fluffy. During the fall and winter foxes cover themselves with a longer, thicker coat of fur. This winter coat is intended to protect them from low temperatures and falls off at the beginning of spring, leaving them with a shorter and less populated summer coat.

Fox eye color ranges from orange to golden yellow. Their pupils are not round but elliptical and oriented vertically. Although it is nocturnal, its vision in the dark of night is poor, guided more by smell and hearing. Its strong legs allow it to reach considerable speeds of up to 72 km/h, making it capable of reaching fast prey or evading predators.

Its long, bushy tail, which it usually carries horizontally, is part of its iconic image. It measures approximately one third of its total length. He uses it for a multitude of tasks: as a pillow when he sleeps, to protect himself from solar radiation, to communicate or to scare away insects. It also serves to maintain balance when running or jumping. Its distinctive white tip helps us to quickly identify it and distinguish it from other canids.

Foxes lack the facial muscles needed to bare their teeth like other canids do.

Subspecies

Forty-five subspecies of Vulpes vulpes are known.

Ecology

Comparison between dog print (1) and fox (2).

Fox cranium.

The common fox is found in a wide variety of biomes and ecosystems, from grasslands to scrubland to forest. Although most abundant in the lower latitudes of its range, it ventures far north, competing directly with the polar fox on the tundra. Red foxes are also common in suburban environments in some of the European and North American cities, although fully urban foxes do not exist.

Food

Fox with a prey.

Although it is classified among the carnivores, the fox itself is an omnivore and a great opportunist. It can take prey of a wide variety of sizes, from 0.5 cm insects to 1.5 m birds such as the Red-crowned Crane. Their diet also consists of a wide spectrum of different prey: invertebrates (such as insects, earthworms, crabs, and mollusks) and small mammals (such as rodents, rabbits, and moles), birds, eggs, amphibians, small reptiles, and some fish. Among the plant materials it consumes, berries and other types of fruits stand out. Foxes are known to kill fawns. In Scandinavia red fox predation is the major cause of neonatal mortality among roe deer. They tend to consume carrion and any edible material they find, in urban areas they eat at landfills and steal food from pets left in gardens. Studies of the diet of wild and urban foxes show that wild foxes hunt more than urban ones.

Foxes generally hunt alone. With their sensitive sense of hearing they can locate small mammals in the thick grass, leaping into the air to land on them. They may also stalk prey such as rabbits by staying hidden until they get close enough to catch them in a short, sudden dash. Foxes tend to be very possessive of their food and rarely share it with others, except for courtship times or mothers with their cubs.

The amount of food they consume ranges from 0.5 to 1 kg per day. Common foxes have small stomachs relative to their size and can only ingest half of what wolves or dogs can take in proportion to their bodies at one time. In periods of abundance, foxes store surplus food for the future. They usually bury them in small holes, 5 to 10 cm. They tend to make many small food caches scattered around their territory rather than one large store. It is believed that he does this to minimize the chance of losing the entire reserve to another animal finding it.

Interspecific relationships

Common fox zombies.

The main predators of common foxes are golden eagles, wolves, cougars, and bears. Boreal lynx also prey on them and tend to decrease fox populations in areas where they overlap. Fox kills by lynxes are rare, usually occurring in winter and spring, the period when foxes explore new territories.

Along with the gray fox, the red fox is the most abundant fox species in North America. The two species prefer different habitats. Red foxes prefer open areas, forested hills, marshes, and river banks. Red foxes are found in brushy areas, swamps, and steep, mountainous terrain. Where their ranges overlap, the more aggressive gray fox tends to be the dominant species, despite being smaller. In contrast, common foxes dominate arctic foxes in areas where they cohabit, as they are much larger. larger and more aggressive than they are. Red foxes also compete with smaller, endangered kit foxes.

In areas where fox and coyote populations overlap, fox territories tend to lie outside coyote territories. The main cause for this separation is believed to be that foxes actively avoid coyotes. The interactions that have been observed between the two species in nature range from active antagonism to indifference. Most aggressive encounters are initiated by coyotes, although there are few records of foxes attacking coyotes such as when their pups are present. Both species have also been observed eating together.

In Israel common foxes match up with golden jackals. Where their ranges overlap they compete because their diets are identical. Foxes ignore scent markings and tracks from jackals in their territory, but avoid physical proximity to jackals. Studies show that in areas where jackals are abundant the fox population drops significantly, apparently because strong competition excludes them.

Sometimes red foxes compete with European badgers for food such as worms, eggs or fruit and the use of dens. Badgers have been observed killing fox cubs, however violence between the two species is rare, and in most encounters they show mutual indifference. And foxes sometimes share dens with European badgers.

Cladogram

Behavior

The foxes usually live alone, except at the time of reproduction.

Living in a wide variety of habitats, foxes have to adapt with very different forms of behavior, reaching the extreme that two different populations of foxes can behave as differently as two different species would.

Adult playing with your puppy.

The fox is a mainly crepuscular animal, with nocturnal tendencies in areas where human interference is very high (and there is also artificial light). Therefore they are more active at dusk than in broad daylight. They are generally solitary hunters. If he gets more food than he can eat at the moment, he will bury it so he can access it later. Foxes are usually territorial, defending a territory in pairs only in winter, and alone in summer. Their territories can reach 50 km², although the average is smaller, about 12 km² in habitats where food is abundant. Foxes mark their territories with a scent gland attached to their tail. The odorous substance secreted by this gland is made up of thiols and thioacetates, very similar to, but less than, those produced by skunks. This gives foxes a characteristic stench detectable by humans who are nearby (2 or 3 meters away).). Foxes cannot project this odorous substance to other animals to defend themselves like skunks can.

Across its range it has several dens, which it may have dug itself or taken from other animals such as marmots or badgers. The main, larger den is the one he will use to spend the winter, give birth and raise the newborns, the smaller dens scattered throughout the rest of the territory are used in case of emergency or to store food

Members of a family group communicate with each other through body language and making sounds. They have a fairly wide spectrum of vocalizations, which can indicate alarm or call each other. They also communicate with other individuals through scent, which is why they mark food and territory with urine, as well as feces and scent gland substances.

Playback

Bitch with his puppy.

Foxes practice monogamy, although not always, as there is evidence of polygamous behavior (both polygyny and polyandry), including outings of the male to other territories during the breeding season looking for other possible matings and mating territories. males that overlap with those of two or more females with whom they mate. It is believed that this flexibility of reproductive behavior is an adaptation to the availability of space and food resources in the territories.

Zorrezno in a Normandy forest.

The breeding season of foxes varies throughout their wide range. The foxes of the southern populations breed between December and January, the populations of intermediate zones breed from January to February and the northern populations will delay it to the period between February and April. Females only have a period of heat that lasts from 1 to 6 days. Even if the female mates with more than one male (who may fight each other for the right to access the female) she will only mate with one of them per year. Gestation lasts from 52 to 53 days. Monogamous pairs formed during the winter will cooperate to raise a litter of 4 to 6 pups (called fox cubs) each year, with the average being 5 and the largest recorded litter being 13. Fox cubs are born completely covered in fluff, do not open their eyes until 8-14 days, and at 4 or 5 weeks they leave the den. At 8 weeks they already weigh more than a kilo and have a pale cream color. Weaning takes place around the ninth week (the foxes already weigh 2-2.5 kg). At 7 or 10 weeks they completely leave the burrow. At five months they weigh more than 3 kg and reach sexual maturity at 9 or 10 months, being able to reproduce in the breeding season following their birth.

Foxes in captivity can live up to twelve years, but in the wild they don't usually exceed three.

Foxes and humans

Sculpture of a fox spirit, kitsune, in a temple of Japan.

Foxes have always had an ambivalent image among humans: on the one hand they were considered a vermin that preyed on chickens and small game species, on the other they have been admired for their beauty and have starred in countless stories representing intelligence and the audacity. In addition, its skin has traditionally been highly appreciated for its soft fur.

In more recent times, being a vector of some diseases such as rabies has not contributed to improving its image. On the other hand, it has been its appearance in numerous nature documentaries showing its biology and spreading the knowledge of its contribution to agriculture by reducing the populations of rodents that stalk the crops. Proof of this improvement in its press among people is the ban on traditional fox hunting in the United Kingdom, in Scotland in 2002 and in England and Wales in 2004. Although the only place in the world where it is considered a protected species is Hong Kong.

In culture

Illustration of the Esopo fable The bitch and the grapes.

Foxes appear in the folklore, mythology, and literature of many cultures in Europe, Asia, and North America. They are generally shown as cunning and deceitful characters who try to tempt and deceive others in their favor.

The Fox Reynard in a children's book of 1869.

In the European fable tradition, foxes have been protagonists since ancient times, as in Aesop's fables, and continued by later fabulists such as La Fontaine or Samaniego. In fables, the fox almost always stands out for its intelligence and cunning, playing roles ranging from the villain (as in The Fox in the Chicken Coop), the trickster rogue (The Raven and the Fox), the con man who gets what he deserves (The fox and the stork), the intelligent one who defeats the strong and even the wise observer of events (The fox and the bust). This same image is the one that is shown in traditional tales and European stories such as those of Reynard or in Pinocchio. According to some historians, from the Middle Ages to the French Revolution, the fox symbolized the survival strategies of peasants in stories.

The peasantry admired cunning and intelligence, and considered it the best strategy to overcome the power of the aristocracy, Church and State, just as they knew that the little fox managed to take advantage of the hidden chicken coops in the dark.

Nine-line fox, from the book Shan Hai Jing of the Qing dynasty.

In Japanese folklore and mythology there is the figure of the kitsune (狐, 'kitsune'^?), spirits of the forest shaped like fox, whose classic function is to protect forests and villages. As in the European tradition, these foxes are intelligent beings that also possess magical abilities, which increase with age and the acquisition of knowledge, becoming evident by the increase in the number of tails, the most powerful being a kitsune with nine tails. The kitsunes are closely associated with the Shinto god, Inari, god of fertility and agriculture, being his messengers and servants. Among her most outstanding powers is the ability to take on the human form, specifically as a young woman. In traditional tales, the kitsune takes advantage of its ability to metamorphose to make mischief and play pranks on people, on other occasions, the metamorphosed animal plays the role of faithful guardian, friend, lover or wife. Offerings are made to the kitsumes as if it were a deity. The historical origin of this central role of the fox in Japanese folklore lies in its harmonious coexistence with the human being in Ancient Japan for being considered a benefactor of agriculture by hunting rodents, which resulted in a growing respect for him and emerging legends attributing powers. The Japanese Kitsune has similar figures in neighboring cultures such as the huli jing of China and the kumiho of Korea.

The fictional character of El Zorro is also well known in literature, film and television, where a young man from the Californian aristocracy, Don Diego de la Vega, fights against the injustices committed by the authorities using his cunning and skill..

Fur trade

Pieces of fox of different colors.

The common fox has been prized in the fur industry since ancient times. The pelt of one silver fox was considered by the natives of New England to be worth the same as 40 beaver pelts. When an Indian chief accepted a silver fox fur as a gift, it was considered an act of reconciliation. The most prized color variety is silver fox. Silver foxes were first bred in captivity to be traded for their pelts on Prince Edward Island, Canada, in 1878. Today, common foxes are the most commonly farmed animals next to American mink. Its skins are used to make all kinds of garments or parts of garments, highlighting stoles, collars, muffs, hats, jackets and coats.

Domestic predator

Urban fox trying to access the cage of a pet rabbit, UK.

Little foxes are considered the number one wild predator of poultry, domestic rabbits and small pets, which has made them an object of hatred for many farmers. The safest option to avoid this is to physically separate the fox from the farm animals by means of fences or cages. To be completely safe, the fences must be at least 2 m high and have no nearby elements that the fox can climb on to jump over. Cases have been recorded where a highly motivated fox has climbed over a metal fence. In addition, the base of the fence must be hard so that the fox cannot burrow under it. Once the fox has entered the interior it will be very easy for him to hunt in a confined space and will often kill several birds that he will try to take to bury as surplus but if humans arrive beforehand he will leave them abandoned.

Although poultry are their most frequent domestic prey, they may also occasionally attack young livestock such as small lambs and kids. In very rare circumstances they may attack subadult or adult sheep or newborn calves. Foxes will generally kill lambs by repeatedly biting them on the neck and back, a sign that they have attacked them while lying down. The results of fox attack on barnyard animals differ from that of wolves or dogs in that they rarely cause broken bones in their prey when feeding on them. Foxes are also notable for taking small carcasses whole to their dens to feed their cubs and themselves so the birds or lambs will disappear without a trace.

Scientific studies conducted in the UK showed that only 0.5-3% of viable lamb deaths were due to foxes, showing their small impact compared to other causes of mortality such as exposure to the elements weather, disease or starvation.

Foxes introduced to Australia

Fox at the Mornington Peninsula National Park.

Introduced foxes in Australia pose a serious conservation problem for native species. According to the Australian government, the common fox was introduced into Australia to be used as a game species in 1855. Since then it has spread uncontrollably and is considered responsible for the decline of several species of animals native to the Australian continent that are in critical condition. extinction. For this reason it is included in the list 100 of the most harmful invasive alien species in the world of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The Australian authorities have tried to eradicate them. In a program known as Western Shield, the Western Australian government conducts aerial and ground surveys of some 35,000 km² (8,750,000 acres) to control foxes and feral cats. The Western Australia Department of Conservation estimates that introduced predators to the continent are responsible for the extinction of ten native species in the state, and the Western Shield program is attempting to conserve another 16.

In Australia foxes are controlled with baited traps or shot with the aid of lights in the dark as their eyes glow in the dark as light reflects off their Tapetum lucidum. A reduction in fox populations has also been observed in areas where dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) have been reintroduced, which has caused native fauna populations to increase.