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Red fox

Vulpes vulpes

2

Nom français: Renard roux

2

  • In winter, they hunt small mammals travelling in tunnels under the snow. They listen attentively and, when the timing id right, leap high into the air and dive head first into the snow (lots of cool youtube videos online... check it out!).
  • They have several scent glands, including in their fingers (ever smelled a fox track?). Scent-marking is one of their main ways of communicating and probably caries information about their sex, age and breeding condition. Their odor very strong and is somewhat similar to the skunk smell. It is present in all fox urine. When following a fox track, be on the lookout for urine marks in snow or on the ground, they will smell very strong (dog or coyote wouldn't).
  • Present in urban areas, but is sneaky enough that most people don't see them. However, they leave many clues of their presence (smell, tracks and scats) if you know what to look for.
  • It is smaller than what most people would imagine. Only slightly bigger than a house cat, it weights from 3 to 7 kg and it's shoulder is around 40 cm high (that's probably around your knee height).
  • Nocturnal, even in the wild outside of cities.
  • Foxes are opportunists omnivorous: they will eat the food that is readily available including insects, fruits, birds, eggs, carrion and small mammals. Their main food source will vary depending on season and location, so will their scats.
  • At the beginning of the winter, foxes start to look for a mate. They join into pairs or sometimes groups for the breeding season (Dec to March) and hunt cooperatively. At that time, the couples also explore for dens within their home range. They can dig their own den or modify an existing cavity, such as a woodchuck hole The average for den generally has several entrances

Fontes e Créditos

  1. (c) Joanne Muis Redwood, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Joanne Muis Redwood
  2. (c) Alice Roy-Bolduc, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA)

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