Red Fox

Nature 2 Minutes

Red foxes are gorgeous! In general, foxes live on every continent in the world, except Antartica and thrive in cities or rural settings. Foxes are members of the Canidae family, which means they’re related to wolves, jackals, and dogs. They’re medium-sized, weighing anywhere between 2 and 24 pounds, with pointy faces, lithe frames, and bushy tails.

Unlike their relatives, foxes are not pack animals. When raising their young, they live in small families—called a “leash of foxes” or a “skulk of foxes”—in underground burrows. Otherwise, they hunt and sleep alone. Fox pups are born blind and don’t open their eyes until 9 days after birth. During that time, they stay with the vixen (female) in the den while the dog (male) brings them food. They live with their parents until they’re 7 months old.

Even though they are related to dogs, foxes have a lot in common with cats. Like a cat, the fox is most active after the sun goes down. It has vertically oriented pupils so it can see in dim light, and it hunts by stalking and pouncing on its prey. The fox also has sensitive cat-like whiskers and spines on its tongue. It walks on its toes, which accounts for its elegant, feline-like tread. The gray fox even has semi-retractable claws, making it the only member of the dog family that climbs trees and it has been known to sleep in the branches—just like a cat.

The red fox also comes in many colors, including silver, black, orange, or a mix of all three. While color variations happen naturally, people have bred foxes for fur, leading to many different patterns. These include the marble fox, which is white with gray or black streaks; the cross fox, which is red with black patches; and the pink champagne fox, which has peachy-white fur and a pink nose.

Some foxes can run up to 42 mph, giving new meaning to the phrase “quick like a fox.” They’re also agile. They can jump three feet in the air and climb fences and over roofs. They also have impressive endurance: One Arctic fox walked 2,700 miles, from Norway to Canada, in three months. That’s over 30 miles a day!

Foxes can make about 40 (!) different sounds ranging from screams to barks and howls. Some calls are used during their mating season, some are used while protecting their territory, while others are just warnings.

Researchers have found that foxes are the first animals to use the earth’s magnetic fields to judge the distance and direction of their prey. They use this to their advantage when hunting for small animals located in high grass and deep snowy environments. They use the magnetic field to jump on their prey and successfully capture them. Their pouncing is also referred to as mousing by others.

In contrast, a silver fox is an entirely different animal…sigh

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Published by pat frederick

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84 thoughts on “Red Fox”

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  4. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

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  6. from tcth

    Jazzbogie
    August 2, 2022 6:14 pm

    In Maricopa County, Arizona it is being reported sharpies are still being given out and smearing the ballots going through the machines.

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  9. EXCERPT: “More than 130 U.S. Coast Guard members filed a class action lawsuit alleging the religious exemptions they filed in response to the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for military service members were unlawfully denied.

    The lawsuit, filed July 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas — Galveston Division, also challenges the constitutionality of the mandate. The number of plaintiffs exceeds 130 and will likely end up surpassing 200, according to Dale Saran, one of the attorneys representing the service members.

    The suit names four defendants: Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS); Linda L. Fagan, commandant of the Coast Guard; Lloyd Austin, secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

    Plaintiffs are either active-duty or reserve members of the Coast Guard, and all “have sincerely held religious beliefs that prohibit them from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.”

    According to the complaint, under the August 24, 2021, DOD vaccine mandate, the military theoretically offers “medical, administrative, and Religious Accommodation Requests (RARs) to the mandate,” while the Coast Guard’s vaccine mandate, issued two days later, “incorporates the provisions of the DOD mandate.”

    https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/coast-guard-members-sue-federal-government-covid-vaccine-mandates/

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