Fox

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For other uses, see Fox (disambiguation).

"Foxes" and "Vixen" redirect here. For other uses, see Foxes (disambiguation) and Vixen
(disambiguation).

Foxes

Red fox ("Vulpes vulpes") lying in snow

Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) lying in snow

Scientific classificationEdit this classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Suborder: Caniformia

Family: Canidae

Groups included

Some Canini species:

†Dusicyon cultridens

Cerdocyon

Cerdocyon thous

Lycalopex

Lycalopex culpaeus

Lycalopex fulvipes

Lycalopex griseus

Lycalopex gymnocercus
Lycalopex sechurae

Lycalopex vetulus

All Vulpini species

Vulpes

Vulpes lagopus

Vulpes vulpes

Vulpes velox

Vulpes macrotis

Vulpes corsac

Vulpes chama

Vulpes pallida

Vulpes bengalensis

Vulpes ferrilata

Vulpes cana

Vulpes rueppelli

Vulpes zerda

Some primitive Canidae species

Urocyon

Urocyon cinereoargenteus

Urocyon littoralis

Urocyon sp.

Otocyon

Otocyon megalotis

Cladistically included but traditionally excluded taxa

All other species in Canini

Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family
Canidae. Foxes have a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a
long bushy tail (or brush).

Twelve species belong to the monophyletic "true foxes" group of genus Vulpes. Approximately another
25 current or extinct species are always or sometimes called foxes; these foxes are either part of the
paraphyletic group of the South American foxes, or of the outlying group, which consists of the bat-
eared fox, gray fox, and island fox.[1] Foxes live on every continent except Antarctica. By far the most
common and widespread species of fox is the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) with about 47 recognized
subspecies.[2] The global distribution of foxes, together with their widespread reputation for cunning,
has contributed to their prominence in popular culture and folklore in many societies around the world.
The hunting of foxes with packs of hounds, long an established pursuit in Europe, especially in the British
Isles, was exported by European settlers to various parts of the New World.

Contents

1 Etymology

2 Phylogenetic relationships

3 Biology

3.1 General morphology

3.2 Pelage

3.3 Dentition

3.4 Behaviour

3.5 Sexual characteristics

3.6 Vocalization

4 Classification

5 Conservation

5.1 Island fox (Urocyon littoralis)

5.2 Darwin's fox (Pseudalopex fulvipes)

6 Relationships with humans

6.1 Fox hunting

6.2 Domestication

6.3 Attacks on humans

6.4 Urban foxes

6.5 In culture

7 Notes

8 References

9 External links

Etymology

The word fox comes from Old English, which derived from Proto-Germanic *fuhsaz.[nb 1] This in turn
derives from Proto-Indo-European *puḱ-, meaning ’thick-haired; tail’.[nb 2] Male foxes are known as
dogs, tods or reynards, females as vixens, and young as cubs, pups, or kits, though the latter name is not
to be confused with a distinct species called kit foxes. Vixen is one of very few words in modern English
that retains the Middle English southern dialect "v" pronunciation instead of "f" (i.e. northern English
"fox" versus southern English "vox").[3] A group of foxes is referred to as a skulk, leash, or earth.[4][5]

Phylogenetic relationships

Comparative illustration of skulls of a true fox (left) and gray fox (right), with differing temporal ridges
and subangular lobes indicated

Within the Canidae, the results of DNA analysis shows several phylogenetic divisions:

The fox-like canids, which include the kit fox (Vulpes velox), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), Cape fox (Vulpes
chama), Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus), and fennec fox (Vulpes zerda).[6]

The wolf-like canids, (genus Canis, Cuon and Lycaon) including the dog (Canis lupus familiaris), gray wolf
(Canis lupus), red wolf (Canis rufus), eastern wolf (Canis lycaon), coyote (Canis latrans), golden jackal
(Canis aureus), Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas), side-striped
jackal (Canis adustus), dhole (Cuon alpinus), and African wild dog (Lycaon pictus).[6]

The South American canids, including the bush dog (Speothos venaticus), hoary fox (Lycalopex uetulus),
crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) and maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus).[6]

Various monotypic taxa, including the bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis), gray fox (Urocyon
cinereoargenteus), and raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides).[6]

Biology

Fox skeleton

General morphology

Foxes are generally smaller than some other members of the family Canidae such as wolves and jackals,
while they may be larger than some within the family, such as Raccoon dogs. In the largest species, the
red fox, males weigh on average between 4.1 and 8.7 kilograms (9 and 19 1⁄4 pounds),[7] while the
smallest species, the fennec fox, weighs just 0.7 to 1.6 kg (1 1⁄2 to 3 1⁄2 lb).[8] Foxy features typically
include a triangular face, pointed ears, an elongated rostrum, and a bushy tail. Foxes are digitigrade, and
thus, walk on their toes. Unlike most members of the family Canidae, foxes have partially retractable
claws.[9] Fox vibrissae, or whiskers, are black. The whiskers on the muzzle, mystaciae vibrissae, average
100–110 millimetres (3 7⁄8–4 3⁄8 inches) long, while the whiskers everywhere else on the head average to
be shorter in length. Whiskers (carpal vibrissae) are also on the forelimbs and average 40 mm (1 5⁄8 in)
long, pointing downward and backward.[2] Other physical characteristics vary according to habitat and
adaptive significance.

Pelage

Fox species differ in fur color, length, and density. Coat colors range from pearly white to black-and-
white to black flecked with white or grey on the underside. Fennec foxes (and other species of fox
adapted to life in the desert, such as kit foxes), for example, have large ears and short fur to aid in
keeping the body cool.[2][9] Arctic foxes, on the other hand, have tiny ears and short limbs as well as
thick, insulating fur, which aid in keeping the body warm.[10] Red foxes, by contrast, have a typical
auburn pelt, the tail normally ending with a white marking.[11] A fox's coat color and texture may vary
due to the change in seasons; fox pelts are richer and denser in the colder months and lighter in the
warmer months. To get rid of the dense winter coat, foxes moult once a year around April; the process
begins from the feet, up the legs, and then along the back.[9] Coat color may also change as the
individual ages.[2]
Dentition

A fox's dentition, like all other canids, is I 3/3, C 1/1, PM 4/4, M 3/2 = 42. (Bat-eared foxes have six extra
molars, totaling in 48 teeth.) Foxes have pronounced carnassial pairs, which is characteristic of a
carnivore. These pairs consist of the upper premolar and the lower first molar, and work together to
shear tough material like flesh. Foxes' canines are pronounced, also characteristic of a carnivore, and are
excellent in gripping prey.[12]

Behaviour

Arctic fox curled up in snow

In the wild, the typical lifespan of a fox is one to three years, although individuals may live up to ten
years. Unlike many canids, foxes are not always pack animals. Typically, they live in small family groups,
but some (such as Arctic foxes) are known to be solitary.[2][9]

Foxes are omnivores.[13][14] Their diet is made up primarily of invertebrates such as insects and small
vertebrates such as reptiles and birds. They may also eat eggs and vegetation. Many species are
generalist predators, but some (such as the crab-eating fox) have more specialized diets. Most species of
fox consume around 1 kg (2 1⁄4 lb) of food every day. Foxes cache excess food, burying it for later
consumption, usually under leaves, snow, or soil.[9][15] While hunting, foxes tend to use a particular
pouncing technique, such that they crouch down to camouflage themselves in the terrain and then use
their hind legs to leap up with great force and land on top of their chosen prey.[2] Using their
pronounced canine teeth, they can then grip the prey's neck and shake it until it is dead or can be
readily disemboweled.[2]

The gray fox is one of only two canine species known to regularly climb trees; the other is the raccoon
dog.[16]

Sexual characteristics

The male fox's scrotum is held up close to the body with the testes inside even after they descend. Like
other canines, the male fox has a baculum, or penile bone.[2][17][18] The testes of red foxes are smaller
than those of Arctic foxes.[19] Sperm formation in red foxes begins in August–September, with the
testicles attaining their greatest weight in December–February.[20]
Vixens are in heat for one to six days, making their reproductive cycle twelve months long. As with other
canines, the ova are shed during estrus without the need for the stimulation of copulating. Once the egg
is fertilized, the vixen enters a period of gestation that can last from 52 to 53 days. Foxes tend to have
an average litter size of four to five with an 80 percent success rate in becoming pregnant.[2][21] Litter
sizes can vary greatly according to species and environment – the Arctic fox, for example, can have up to
eleven kits.[22]

The vixen usually has six or eight mammae.[23] Each teat has 8 to 20 lactiferous ducts, which connect
the mammary gland to the nipple, allowing for milk to be carried to the nipple.[citation needed]

Vocalization

The fox's vocal repertoire is vast: