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| The Background
The fox is a canid (family Canidae), and belong to the Order Carnivora and are indeed carnivores (meat-eaters) but they also eat fruits and grains. Foxes cannot cross-breed with dogs or other canids, having a different number of chromosomes, so if you see a foxy-looking dog, that's exactly what it is: a dog with foxy features, not a dog-fox cross. Foxes’ Appearance Foxes are distinctively shaped, with pointy muzzles, large ears, long thin bodies and long legs, and long bushy tails. 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 kn own 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), the smallest of the foxes in spite of its huge ears. Foxes can be found in most parts of the world, like the African Bat-Eared Fox (Otocyon Megalotis) and Cape Fox (Vulpes Charma)... and thanks to the popularity of fox hunting among the British, foxes can even be found in Australia!
Since the Red Fox is the most common type of fox found in Ireland, here is a description of him/her! The Red Fox usually features red-orange fur, a white tum my with white markings on its muzzle and on the tip of its tail, and black stockings on its legs. The pointed ears may be all black, or may be black-tipped; black markings on the muzzle are not uncommon. The Red Fox may sport a tawny yellow coat, or in some areas a silver or black coat. 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. They shed this extra fur over a period of a couple of weeks and resume their svelte 'normal' appearance. With the coming of Winter, the fox's coat will grow thick and plush to help stave off the cold.
Fox Families Foxes are family-oriented animals, often forming lifetime attachments when it comes time to raise young ones. During the rest of the year, however, the male (dog) fox and the female (vixen) live separately though after the cubs have been born, the dog fox will hang around into the early Spring to make sure they are well provided for before he takes off for a Summer of fun and frolic. The cubs have a relatively easy life up to a point. The vixen feeds them and grooms them until they are reasonably mobile, then hunts small game and brings it back to the den so the young ones can learn and practice their hunting skills. Once they are grown and able to fend for themselves, however, the nother suddenly turns snarly and mean, and will chase them away to find their own territories - thus ensuring that a local disaster does not wipe out the entire next generation. Since it is the vixen who decides where she will raise her next family, it is not uncommon for one of the daughters to return home if the mother is gone, continuing the cycle in a familiar environment. Friendly Foxes Foxes mostly eat small mammals and wounded birds, and are not above scrounging a meal from a garbage can if the pickings seem safe. Although foxes are infamous in stories and legend for raiding the hen house, most foxes prefer to avoid noisy prey and will not enter any situation that seems too suspicious. Similarly, foxes rarely attack dogs or cats - the former because they are noisy and likely to attract attention, the latter because they are armed and troublesome. A fox will usually fight off a dog only to protect its family, and only if there is no other choice. Most foxes prefer to lead a dog away from the den and into foreign territory, there to lose it and return without doing battle. Click on the different parts of me to find out what they are called! Make sure to click the back button to return to this screen after clicking on each part!
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