With the coming of Winter, the fox's coat will grow thick and plush to help stave off the cold.įoxes are family-oriented critters, often forming lifetime attachments when it comes time to raise young ones. They shed this extra fur over a period of a couple of weeks and resume their svelte 'normal' appearance. During the onset of Summer, the fox sheds his fur from underneath the newer coat, giving him a distinctively shaggy appearance which is often mistaken for mange. The Red Fox may sport a tawny yellow coat, or in some areas a silver or black coat. The pointed ears may be all black, or may be black-tipped black markings on the muzzle are not uncommon. The Red Fox usually features red-orange fur, a white tummy with white markings on its muzzle and on the tip of its tail, and black stockings on its legs. Since Latin gets tiring, we'll drop it and concentrate mostly on our North American friend, the Red Fox. and thanks to the popularity of fox hunting among some British colonists, foxes can even be found in Australia! Foxes can be found in most parts of the world, like the African Bat-Eared Fox ( Otocyon megalotis) and Cape Fox ( Vulpes charma). The Red Fox ( Vulpes vulpes) is typically the largest of all foxes, and is the type most people think of when they think "fox." Other widely known foxes include the Grey Fox ( Urocyon cinereoarargenteus - aka "Tree Fox" because they can climb trees) the Arctic Fox ( Alopex lagopus) and the ever-popular Fennec ( Vulpes zerda - or Fennecus zerda, depending on your sources), the smallest of the foxes in spite of its huge ears. If you see a foxy-looking dog, that's exactly what it is: a dog with foxy features, not a dog-fox cross.įoxes are distinctively shaped, with pointy muzzles, large ears, long thin bodies and long legs, and long bushy tails.
but that's a matter for taxonomists.įoxes cannot cross-breed with dogs or other canids, having a different number of chromosomes. They belong to the Order Carnivora and are indeed carnivores (meat-eaters) but they also eat fruits and grains, so by diet they are more properly omnivores. The fox is a canid (family Canidae), distantly akin to coyotes, jackals, and wolves but they are a distinct and separate animal, having formed their own genetic group 11-12 million years ago. You have probably noticed that we like foxes and what would a FoxWeb be without a page about foxes?! Here you can learn a little about one of our favorite animals, with a section full of Frequently Asked Questions further on. All material © 1996-2010 by R&M Creative Endeavors - Not Public Domain!
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