Ragtatter

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Member Back to Top Post by Ragtatter on Basic Terminology:



Earth: A fox's den.



Kit: A baby fox



Tod: A male fox



Skulk: A group of foxes living together and protecting the same territory



Vixen: A female fox.



Biology:



Red Foxes are small canines, averaging only 8-to-12 pounds, and are too genetically distant from dogs or wolves or coyotes to hybridize with any of them.



Foxes are, in essence, the Canine family's best attempt at making a cat. They have evolved to fill a very similar niche to small wildcats, and have developed many traits that do not exist in other dogs, but that do exist in cats.



The most notable of these are elliptical pupils--foxes are the only members of the canine family that have pupils that go to slits like cat eyes.



Their teeth are not as sharp as cat teeth, and their jaws are not as strong as dog jaws. Foxes mouths are designed for crunching mice quickly, not for combat. They have toenails similar to dogs, not claws.



The ONLY threat that a red fox poses to an adult cat is competition for prey!



They are shy, non-aggressive animals, and although they will defend a kill they have just made, they are more likely to snatch it and run away from a hostile cat than to launch any sort of attack.



A healthy fox will NOT attack a cat of any size at all: once a kit has reached 6 months of age, there is almost nothing to worry about and no real threat.



Most reports of "fox attacks" on domestic cats are really misidentified dog or coyote attacks.



Coloration:



In the wild, red foxes come in one of three coat colorations:



"Classic Red" accounts for approximately 65% of wild foxes. This is what most people think of when they hear the word "fox"





"Silver Fox" in this morph, the fox has a black undercoat with lighter tipped guard hairs, giving an almost frosted look. The tail tip remains white. These account for about 10% of wild foxes in North America.







And finally, "Cross Fox". This is a much harder morph to describe, and is extremely variable. They have black feet, ears, tails, and underbellies, with vivid coloration along their sides ranging from butterscotch to dark orange depending on the individual. A broad black streak runs down their back, with more and more silvering as it reaches their hind legs. The face is usually grey or silvered.



Cross foxes make up about 25% of wild red foxes in North America.







Hunting and Diet:



Just in case we're still not clear: FOXES DON'T EAT CATS! Got it? Okay, good.



Anyway, foxes are true omnivores, and will eat just about anything should the opportunity arise. Earthworms and blackberries are both favorites. A hungry fox WILL kill and eat a small kitten if they come across one, but will not make any special effort to seek them out.



Voles, mice, and other small creatures form the bulk of their prey. They listen to pinpoint exactly where their prey is hiding in the grass, and then use their characteristic arching quarry-leap. The prey is pinned beneath the forepaws, and killed with a quick crunch of their teeth.



Foxes have much more difficulty bringing down rabbits and birds; these are not commonly eaten.



Relative to their size, foxes have very small stomachs, and therefore must eat small meals more frequently. To help prepare for this, they will store food throughout their territory in small caches for later.



Social Behavior:



Although foxes will live a solitary life or in pairs in areas with large amounts of human activity (or almost no other foxes), this is not their 'natural' social behavior--merely an adaptation to deal with the high mortality rate that results from living in close proximity with humans.



In more natural settings, foxes live in small groups called "skulks", consisting of one tod, approximately six related vixens, and that year's kits. All foxes in the territory help to protect it's borders against intruders and rear the kits.



However, each fox in the skulk hunts for itself. When it comes to food, foxes have no friends, and they will aggressively defend their food caches against even other members of their own skulk. The only general exceptions to this rule are that all foxes in the skulk will usually feed the kits, and the tod will feed the dominant vixen while she's earth-bound with kits.



Confrontations between two foxes (or a fox and just about any other similar sized animal) are usually earsplittingly noisy affairs, but almost never end in bloodshed. Red foxes are physically incapable of snarling. They lack the muscle structure in their faces to do so. Instead, they scream and do a unique behavior known as "gekkering".



When a fox gekkers, it opens it's mouth as wide as possible, angles it's nose upwards so that it's teeth are showing, and make a high-pitched rattling/gurgling noise. Watch the video below for a good example of foxes gekkering.





[flash=350,287]http://www.youtube.com/v/CrOpbfDPOsU&hl=en&fs=1[/flash]





Vocalizations and Body Language:



Overall, a fox's vocalizations are much higher pitched than those of your typical dog or wolf, and are occasionally compared to the calls of crows or ravens in pitch.



Red foxes do not snarl or hiss, nor do they bark like a dog does. (They do bark, but it does not sound like a dog's bark.)



Red foxes do gekker, squawk, jabber, warble, squeal, and scream bloody murder. They growl, but it is higher pitched and does not sound menacing like a dog's growl. Honestly, it sort of sounds like Marge Simpson growling.



Foxes have a distinctive "wow-wow-wow" call that is often inaccurately described as a mating call. However, it is frequently used outside of mating season, and could better be characterized as an "I'm here! Where are you?" call.



Fox facial expressions have a lot in common with domestic dogs, and the ears in particular are used in a similar manner.



Proportionately longer and much more flexible than a dog's tail, a happy fox's wagging tail will often go into S-curves. Instead of holding their tail between their legs, a frightened or submissive fox will curl the tail around, holding it close to their side. A calm or traveling fox will usually hold it's tail straight out behind it in line with it's body, while a playing fox will curl it's tail up over it's back or windmill it wildly.



Although a submissive fox will not roll over and show it's belly like a dog or a wolf would, they WILL crouch down.



Red Fox Sound Samples: (Click to listen)



Warbling During Play

Crying Kit

Wailing



And here's a youtube video of my friend's fox, Ron, doing the wow-wow-wow call:



[flash=350,287]http://www.youtube.com/v/cETa0x0Zfzw&hl=en&fs=1[/flash]



And just a little guy chattering:

[flash=350,287]http://www.youtube.com/v/gRvClzAe3fo&hl=en&fs=1[/flash]



Breeding and Kits:



Foxes have a distinct breeding season, both for the males and females. Neither gender is sexually active outside of the mating season.



Only the dominant vixen in a skulk breeds. The subordinate ones generally do not go into heat at all. If a subordinate vixen does have a litter, the kits are immediately killed by the dominant vixen.



The mother has a 7-or-8 week gestation, and kits are born from mid March to mid April. This is the only time of the year that kits are produced. An average litter has five kits in it, which are born blind and weigh about 2.5 to 4.5 ounces.



Weeks 1 and 2: The kits are completely helpless and dependant on their mother. She will not leave the earth, and is dependent on the tod to bring her food. Other vixens in the skulk generally will not help feed the dominant vixen at this time.



Week 3: Kits now start moving around, and will scuffle with each other to form a hierarchy. Their first milkteeth start to come in.



Week 4: Weaning begins. Kits are not yet old enough to eat solid food, so the foxes in the skulk will regurgitate partially digested food for them to eat.



Week 5: Kits first leave the den, but stay nearby. They do not have their adult colorations yet. "Classic red" kit's coats are a sandy greyish brown color, "Silver fox" kits coats are a blue-grey color, and "Cross fox" kits are blue grey with a few patches of dull, orangy-yellow.



This is the adorable "pounce on bugs" puppy stage, although the kits do not stray far from the den. A warning bark from an adult is all it takes to send them scrambling back for the safety of the den.



2 Months: Kits are now fully weaned, and learning how to hunt. Their puppy coats have shifted to adult coloration, and their blue eyes have turned yellow or brown.



6 Months: Kits are now fully self-sufficient. Male kits are driven out of the territory by the tod. Female kits are free to stay and join the skulk, but some do disperse. The young foxes will frequently invade the territories of nearby foxes, and be driven out, until they're able to find a mate and an uninhabited place of their own, or displace an existing skulk.



The survival rate in the first year of life is not good, with only 1/3 of foxes living to see their first birthday.







Special thanks to my pet fox, Gizmo, for helping me with this guide!



A fox's den.A baby foxA male foxA group of foxes living together and protecting the same territoryA female fox.Red Foxes are small canines, averaging only 8-to-12 pounds, and are too genetically distant from dogs or wolves or coyotes to hybridize with any of them.Foxes are, in essence, the Canine family's best attempt at making a cat. They have evolved to fill a very similar niche to small wildcats, and have developed many traits that do not exist in other dogs, but that do exist in cats.The most notable of these are elliptical pupils--foxes are the only members of the canine family that have pupils that go to slits like cat eyes.Their teeth are not as sharp as cat teeth, and their jaws are not as strong as dog jaws. Foxes mouths are designed for crunching mice quickly, not for combat. They have toenails similar to dogs, not claws.They are shy, non-aggressive animals, and although they will defend a kill they have just made, they are more likely to snatch it and run away from a hostile cat than to launch any sort of attack.A healthy fox will NOT attack a cat of any size at all: once a kit has reached 6 months of age, there is almost nothing to worry about and no real threat.Most reports of "fox attacks" on domestic cats are really misidentified dog or coyote attacks.In the wild, red foxes come in one of three coat colorations:"Classic Red" accounts for approximately 65% of wild foxes. This is what most people think of when they hear the word "fox""Silver Fox" in this morph, the fox has a black undercoat with lighter tipped guard hairs, giving an almost frosted look. The tail tip remains white. These account for about 10% of wild foxes in North America.And finally, "Cross Fox". This is a much harder morph to describe, and is extremely variable. They have black feet, ears, tails, and underbellies, with vivid coloration along their sides ranging from butterscotch to dark orange depending on the individual. A broad black streak runs down their back, with more and more silvering as it reaches their hind legs. The face is usually grey or silvered.Cross foxes make up about 25% of wild red foxes in North America.Just in case we're still not clear:Got it? Okay, good.Anyway, foxes are true omnivores, and will eat just about anything should the opportunity arise. Earthworms and blackberries are both favorites. A hungry fox WILL kill and eat a small kitten if they come across one, but will not make any special effort to seek them out.Voles, mice, and other small creatures form the bulk of their prey. They listen to pinpoint exactly where their prey is hiding in the grass, and then use their characteristic arching quarry-leap. The prey is pinned beneath the forepaws, and killed with a quick crunch of their teeth.Foxes have much more difficulty bringing down rabbits and birds; these are not commonly eaten.Relative to their size, foxes have very small stomachs, and therefore must eat small meals more frequently. To help prepare for this, they will store food throughout their territory in small caches for later.Although foxes will live a solitary life or in pairs in areas with large amounts of human activity (or almost no other foxes), this is not their 'natural' social behavior--merely an adaptation to deal with the high mortality rate that results from living in close proximity with humans.In more natural settings, foxes live in small groups called "skulks", consisting of one tod, approximately six related vixens, and that year's kits. All foxes in the territory help to protect it's borders against intruders and rear the kits.However, each fox in the skulk hunts for itself., and they will aggressively defend their food caches against even other members of their own skulk. The only general exceptions to this rule are that all foxes in the skulk will usually feed the kits, and the tod will feed the dominant vixen while she's earth-bound with kits.Confrontations between two foxes (or a fox and just about any other similar sized animal) are usually earsplittingly noisy affairs, but almost never end in bloodshed.They lack the muscle structure in their faces to do so. Instead, they scream and do a unique behavior known as "gekkering".When a fox gekkers, it opens it's mouth as wide as possible, angles it's nose upwards so that it's teeth are showing, and make a high-pitched rattling/gurgling noise. Watch the video below for a good example of foxes gekkering.Overall, a fox's vocalizations are much higher pitched than those of your typical dog or wolf, and are occasionally compared to the calls of crows or ravens in pitch.Red foxessnarl or hiss, nor do they bark like a dog does. (They do bark, but it does not sound like a dog's bark.)Red foxesgekker, squawk, jabber, warble, squeal, and scream bloody murder. They growl, but it is higher pitched and does not sound menacing like a dog's growl. Honestly, it sort of sounds like Marge Simpson growling.Foxes have a distinctive "wow-wow-wow" call that is often inaccurately described as a mating call. However, it is frequently used outside of mating season, and could better be characterized as an "I'm here! Where are you?" call.Fox facial expressions have a lot in common with domestic dogs, and the ears in particular are used in a similar manner.Proportionately longer and much more flexible than a dog's tail, a happy fox's wagging tail will often go into S-curves. Instead of holding their tail between their legs, a frightened or submissive fox will curl the tail around, holding it close to their side. A calm or traveling fox will usually hold it's tail straight out behind it in line with it's body, while a playing fox will curl it's tail up over it's back or windmill it wildly.Although a submissive fox will not roll over and show it's belly like a dog or a wolf would, they WILL crouch down.And here's a youtube video of my friend's fox, Ron, doing the wow-wow-wow call:[flash=350,287]http://www.youtube.com/v/cETa0x0Zfzw&hl=en&fs=1[/flash]And just a little guy chattering:[flash=350,287]http://www.youtube.com/v/gRvClzAe3fo&hl=en&fs=1[/flash]Foxes have a distinct breeding season, both for the males and females. Neither gender is sexually active outside of the mating season.The subordinate ones generally do not go into heat at all. If a subordinate vixen does have a litter, the kits are immediately killed by the dominant vixen.The mother has a 7-or-8 week gestation, and kits are born from mid March to mid April. This is the only time of the year that kits are produced. An average litter has five kits in it, which are born blind and weigh about 2.5 to 4.5 ounces.The kits are completely helpless and dependant on their mother. She will not leave the earth, and is dependent on the tod to bring her food. Other vixens in the skulk generally will not help feed the dominant vixen at this time.Kits now start moving around, and will scuffle with each other to form a hierarchy. Their first milkteeth start to come in.Weaning begins. Kits are not yet old enough to eat solid food, so the foxes in the skulk will regurgitate partially digested food for them to eat.Kits first leave the den, but stay nearby. They do not have their adult colorations yet. "Classic red" kit's coats are a sandy greyish brown color, "Silver fox" kits coats are a blue-grey color, and "Cross fox" kits are blue grey with a few patches of dull, orangy-yellow.This is the adorable "pounce on bugs" puppy stage, although the kits do not stray far from the den. A warning bark from an adult is all it takes to send them scrambling back for the safety of the den.Kits are now fully weaned, and learning how to hunt. Their puppy coats have shifted to adult coloration, and their blue eyes have turned yellow or brown.Kits are now fully self-sufficient. Male kits are driven out of the territory by the tod. Female kits are free to stay and join the skulk, but some do disperse. The young foxes will frequently invade the territories of nearby foxes, and be driven out, until they're able to find a mate and an uninhabited place of their own, or displace an existing skulk.The survival rate in the first year of life is not good, with only 1/3 of foxes living to see their first birthday.Special thanks to my pet fox, Gizmo, for helping me with this guide!