Foxes have long had a relationship with humans.Īlthough foxes are usually wild, their relationship with people goes way back. Its paws are covered with fur so that the fox can walk on hot sand, like it's wearing snowshoes. The long ears not only allow it to hear prey, they also radiate body heat to keep the fox cool. It lives in North African deserts, where it sleeps during the day to avoid the searing heat. Roughly the size of a kitten, the fennec fox has elongated ears and a creamy coat. The Fennec fox is a small but mighty predator. The smallest fox weighs less than 3 pounds. One in five pups never make it out of the den. She discovered that the struggle for dominance starts as soon as the pups can walk. Animal behaviorist Sandra Alvarez-Betancourt studied thousands of hours of footage taken with an infrared camera of pup activity in the den. But play also establishes social hierarchy, and it starts very young. Fox pup play can get violent.įoxes are known to play among themselves, as well as with other animals. Vixens sometimes go to great lengths to protect their pups-once, in England, a fox pup was caught in a wire trap for two weeks but survived because its mother brought it food every day. They live with their parents until they're 7 months old. During that time, they stay with the vixen (female) in the den while the dog (male) brings them food. Foxes are good parents.įox pups are born blind and don't open their eyes until nine days after birth. Check out this video to see a fox in action. When the shadow and the sound of prey lines up, it's time to pounce. Other animals, like birds, sharks, and turtles, have this “magnetic sense,” but the fox is the first one we've discovered that uses it to catch prey.Īccording to New Scientist, the fox can see the earth's magnetic field as a “ ring of shadow” on its eyes that darkens as it moves toward magnetic north. Like a guided missile, the fox harnesses the Earth's magnetic field to hunt. Foxes use the Earth’s magnetic field.įoxes are adept hunters. It's even in Australia, where it's considered an invasive species. As a result, its range is the entire Northern Hemisphere, from the Arctic Circle to North Africa to Central America to the Asiatic steppes. While its natural habitat is a mixed landscape of scrub and woodland, its flexible diet allows it to adapt to many environments. Geographically, the red fox has the widest range of any of the 280 animals in the order Carnivora. Research found that while nature lovers can identify most North American mammals, they frequently mix foxes up with other canids, like coyotes.

True foxes have flattened skulls, triangular snouts, and fluffy tails, but it's common to be confused when seeing one in real life. Some of these include the red, Arctic, fennec, and kit foxes.

There are 12 true foxes-and many relatives.Īlthough there are 37 animals called foxes, only 12 are considered “ true foxes,” meaning they're from the genus Vulpes. It has been known to sleep in the branches-just like a cat. The gray fox even has semi-retractable claws, making it the only member of the dog family that climbs trees. It walks on its toes, which accounts for its elegant, feline-like tread. The fox also has sensitive cat-like whiskers and spines on its tongue. It has vertically oriented pupils so it can see in dim light, and it hunts by stalking and pouncing on its prey. Like a cat, the fox is most active after the sun goes down.

Are foxes nocturnal