Facts about Foxes

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Foxes are part of the cadinae family. This means that they are related to some animal species such as the raccoons, coyotes, dogs and grey foxes. They are mainly in metropolitans, rural places and even in towns. It is an interesting fact to know that foxes live in all the continents, except the Antarctica. These furry little creatures were first spotted in Australia in the early 19 century. They are of two types; the native and the non-natives. The native foxes are of Canadian Boreal Forest types while the non-natives are from Europe and were greatly hunted in shooting sports in the early and mid-1700s. Over time, foxes have become an animal of interest and are poached for their fur and their tail cut-off that is used by hunters as a trophy.

These creatures have fascinating facts that people out to know about them:

  1. Foxeslive in dens that are burrowed undergroundthoughthey can also be found in hollowstoo.
  2. Foxesare not packcreatures. Unlike their otherrelatives in thedogfamily, theydon’t hunt, sleeporeat in packs. Rather, theydothis on their own. Butwhilethey are raising their cubs in their undergroundburrows, they may be found in smallfamiliesknown as skulk orleash.
  3. Foxes are verysimilar to cats. Theyprefer to hunt at nightjust like cats; this is becausetheyhaveinvertedpupils that enable them to seeclearly in thedark. Theyalsohavewhiskers that are sensitive, and in their tongues, there are spikes, which are similar to those of cats. Theyalsohave a cat-like walksincetheywalk on their toes. Theysometimessleep on trees orclimb on rooftops due to thepresence of retractable claws which are just like those of a cat.
  4. There are 48 sub-species of foxes with various color variations like cross or silver, but the most common and easily found fox is the red fox which has a bushy tail and a face like that of a dog. It can be easily traced almost anywhere, from the Arctic Circle, Northern Africa, and central part of America, Asia and
  5. It is interesting to noticethatfoxesusetheearth’s magneticfieldforhuntingpurposes. There are otheranimals like sharks that are known to havethe “Magnetic sense” butFox is theonly predator that usesitforhunting. Theyhave a “ring of shadow” around their eyes. Oncethisshadowandthesound of theprey are in line; thefox pounces on its prey.
  6. Foxesonlyreproduce once a year which is mainly during thewinterseasonandtheygivebirth to a maximum of approximately 11 cubs. Thesecubs are bornblindanddeaf. They will be able to seeandeat after about two weeks at most. The vixens are helped to raise their cubs by other non-rearing sisteror a vixen from a pastlitter. Thishelps them to be readyandable to raise their cubs during their time, thefollowingseason.
  7. Theyhavewhiskers on their legsand around their faces that enable them to find their wayaround.
  8. Instead of chewing their food, foxesuse their carnassials teeth to tearapart sizeable chunks of meat that they can manage.
  9. Foxes are consideredplayfullittlecreatures. Theyplay amongst themselves andeven with otheranimalssuch as catsanddogs. They may be wildanimals, buttheyhave a goodrelationship with humanbeingsand can be kept as pets. This is evidenced bythefindings of a 16500 oldhumanbody that wasburied with his foxpet. Thiswas way before humansstarted to eveninteract with animalssuch as dogs.
  10. Thesmallestfox of them all is the Fennec fox that weighsless than 3 pounds. It has stretched out earsand its coat is cream- Itisonlyfound in the Sahara desert.Itsleeps during theday to protect itself from thehotsun.

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