Vulpini

The vulpins (Vulpini) are a tribe of carnivorous mammals included in the canid family. They are commonly known as foxes or foxes.

Currently they are represented by some 27 species found in almost all continents, although the most widespread is the red fox or common fox (Vulpes vulpes), which inhabits Europe and North America. Other important species are the gray fox, the island fox and the polar fox, also known as the "arctic fox".

General characteristics

Most foxes live between 5 and 7 years in the wild, although they can reach 12 or even exceed that age in captivity. They are generally smaller than other members of the Canidae family, such as; wolves, jackals and domestic dogs. Its typical features include a fine muzzle and a bushy tail. Other physical characteristics vary by habitat. For example, the desert fox has long ears and short fur, while the arctic fox has small ears and thick fur.

Unlike many canids, foxes are not usually pack animals. They are loners hunting their prey (especially rodents). Using a jumping technique practiced from a very early age in which, depending on the terrain, he uses one technique or another; For example, in the snow it is dedicated to listening to the prey under the thick layer and when it predicts its movements, it jumps very high in a vertical posture to penetrate the snow more effectively and thus reach the prey, they are able to to kill its prey swiftly. Their diet includes everything from grasshoppers to fruit and berries, and they exhibit the overdeveloped mammary gland phenotype.

Classification

This tribe was first described in 1832 by the German naturalists Wilhelm Hemprich (1796-1825) and Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg (1795-1876).

Overview

Fennecus

Foxes (Vulpini tribe) include the following genera:

• Fennecus
• Otocyon
• Urocyon
• Vulpes

Some experts consider that the genus also has a close phylogenetic relationship:

• Nyctereutes

Other genera called foxes are:

• Atelocynus
• Cerdocyon
• Lycalopex

Male fox chilote (Lycalopex fulvipes)

In more detail

• Gender Alopex
  • Alopex lakepus (o) Vulpes lakepus- Polar fox, Arctic fox, white fox or snow fox.
• Gender Otocyon
  • Otocyon megalotis - ototion or zorro orejudo.
• Gender Urocyon
  • Urocyon cinereoargenteus - arboreal grey fox or gray fox.
  • Urocyon littoralis - island grey fox or island fox.
• Gender Vulpes
  • Vulpes bengalensis - Indian fox or Bengal fox.
  • Vulpes cana - Blanford fox, Afghan fox or spurious fox.
  • Vulpes chama - Cabo's fox.
  • Vulpes corsac - Mongol fox.
  • Ferrrican Vulpes - Tibetan fox or herring fox.
  • Vulpes macrotis - Fox kit.
  • Pallida Vulpes - pale fox.
  • Vulpes rueppellii - Rüppell fox or sand fox.
  • Vulpes velox - quick fox or fox comet.
  • Vulpes vulpes - red fox or common fox.
• Vulpes zerda (o) Fennecus zerda- fenec or fox of the desert.

Conservation

Polar fox.

In some countries foxes are a serious pest. In Australia, for example, red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), which were introduced by man in the 19th century, are probably the most damaging invasive animal, being responsible for more extinctions than even cats and rabbits. Paradoxically, some varieties of foxes in other parts of the world have been declared endangered species.

Foxes can be very useful for agricultural purposes. They have been used to control pests in fruit farms, leaving the fruit intact.

Domestication

Red fox.

Foxes are normally very wary of humans, so they are not adopted as pets. However, in a selective breeding program carried out over several decades in Russia, a group of Russian scientists led by the brothers Nikolai and Dmitri Belyaev, later directed by Lyudmila Trut, after a few decades of artificial selection, managed to produce specimens with great affability towards the individuals, able to wag their tails, respond to caresses, express their affection by moaning or licking their masters, as well as follow them and respond to their calls. From the ninth generation, in addition to behavioral changes, morphological changes were recorded like pendulous ears up to three months of age, mottled fur, and coiled tails.

Symbols

During the Middle Ages, the fox was considered to be associated with the devil due to its tricks and tricks. The Chinese claim that the fox is the only animal that greets the sunrise. The peoples of Siberia consider him one of the most cunning messengers of hell. The classical theory of dreams interprets that dreaming of a fox is a warning that you have to take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to you.

The fox in popular culture

Coat made in Nuevo León with fox skin.

Head of Kitsune, fox of Japanese tradition.

• In Western culture, fox is considered a very cunning animal and is used as a symbol of cunning in many folk tales. Sometimes it is given variants of the name Reynard, Renard, Renart, Reinard, Reineckeor ReinhardusLike in the Roman de Renart.
• In Japanese culture, kitsune (Japanese fox) is a powerful form of very naughty and cunning animal spirit.
• In Chinese culture, the spirits of the foxes removed the men from their wives. The Chinese word for "zorro spirit" is the same word that designates the lover in an extramarital relationship.
• The Spanish word Fox was used by Johnston McCulley to name The Fox character of a series of stories in English, on which later other works have been created (novels, films and television series).
• Babazorro, the pet of the sports club Alavés is shaped like fox due to the phonetic similarity between the Castilian word Fox and his name, the Basque word babazorro (which originally meant beans pod, but it is also a colloquial gentile to allude the inhabitants of Álava.)
• The German quarterback Erwin Rommel received the nickname Wüstenfuchs ("Zorro del Desierto"), following his ability as commander of the Afrika Korps during the North African military campaigns, between 1941 and 1943.
• In cartoons David the Gnomo, appeared a character called SwiftA fox that helped and transported the gnomes.
• A fox is the pet of the Mexican soccer champion Atlas of Guadalajara. The team is also known as "The Atlas Foxes"
• In Chile the team of Fútbol Cobreloa receives the name of The Foxes of the Desert.
• In England, it is the official pet of the Leicester City Football Club, besides being nicknamed as The Foxes.
• The second pet of the Real Valladolid is a fox, by name Pepe Zorrillo (in clear allusion to the Vallisolene poet José Zorrilla, who gives his name to the club stadium.)
• Zorro is a Dora character, the scout who steals all of Dora's things that serve to complete the mission.
• The Disney Company made a film called The Fox and the Hound
• Vulpini Automotive the Mexican sports car company is named for its Latin counterpart.
• Vulpix like Fennekin are creatures of the Japanese saga Pokémonbased on this animal.
• Miles Prower, or better known as "Tails", is a character Sonic the HedgehogIt's a 2-line fox that can fly using them as propellers. He's Sonic's best friend and a great airplane pilot, inventor and scientist.
• Kurama or " 9 tail fox" is the most famous inner creature of Naruto.
• "Wild ones"is a real time game developed by Playdom and available on Facebook. It is a violent and multiplayer game where there are pets, each with a special skill and must be killed and shot to win the war. In the game there is a fox as a pet, whose special ability is to throw a ball of fire.
• In the famous book The Little Prince, of the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the main character has as a friend a fox, who teaches him the true meaning of friendship and the essence of human relations.
• In 1996 the Mexican group Banda Zorro appeared, which in 1997 based its costumes on the character played by Antonio Banderas, in addition to the fact that its logo consists of the face of a fox.
• In the video games Star Fox, the character Fox McCloud, is an anthropomorphic fox and protagonist of the video games series of the same name.
• In the franchise of video games Five Nights at Freddy'sFoxy, the Pirate Fox, is an animatronic fox.
• In the series Zip ZipWashington, a cunning fox that disguises itself as a dog to live in a city and not be hunted for pest control, along with his friends Sam (a wild boar that disguises itself as a cat), Eugenia (Sam's sister, a little boar that disguises itself as a rabbit) and Suzy (a mirlo that disguises itself as a canary).
• A Zincha-named fox was chosen as an official mascot of the Copa América 2015.
• In the game saga Drawn to lifeThe breed of creatures to which the player must help is called "Raposa".
• In the Disney film entitled Zootopia, appears as co-starter Nick Wilde, a cunning fox, charming and little-mounted scammer.
• In the Miraculous Ladybug series, one of the chest prodigies corresponds to that of a pendant shaped like a fox tail. One of the akumatized victims is passed through the fox superheroin, named Volpina. The real superheroin is called Rena Rouge.
• In the early 1980s Las Vulpes was a female punk rock group from Baracaldo (Vizcaya, Basque Country).

Additional bibliography

• Kerstin Lindblad-Toh et al.: “Resolving canid phylogeny.“ Section in: Kerstin Lindblad-Toh et al.: Genome sequence, comparative analysis and haplotype structure of the domestic dog. Nature 438, December 2005; pages 803–819.