Wood fox. Fox breeds

We know that most people love foxes, but how not to love these beauties in fluffy fur coats? Therefore, we decided that it would be interesting for you to learn about some of the most beautiful and bright views these forest animals. Common or red fox (Vulpes vulpes), that usually comes to mind when you hear the word "fox" and it makes sense, because this species fox is the most common in the world and can be found anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere. If you love foxes and think they look much better in wild nature than on someone's neck, you will definitely want to see the 7 most beautiful views foxes in their natural element!

Fennec Fox

Fennec foxes living in North Africa and the Sahara desert, are distinguished by their big ears, which serve not only to ensure that the animal can hunt better, but also to better cool the body in the heat of the day. Also, their cream fur helps them not to attract the scorching sun during the day and keep warm at night.

Red Fox (Red Fox)

The red fox is the largest, most widely distributed and, as a result, the most diverse species of all foxes. They can be found throughout the Northern Hemisphere and in Australia. These foxes are very agile hunters and can even jump over a two-meter fence.

Marble Fox

The Arctic marbled fox is also a member of the red fox species, the color of which is not found in the wild - its color was bred artificially for the sake of fur.

Gray fox (Gray Fox)

The gray fox, which lives in North America, is distinguished by its salt and pepper coat, black tail tip, and red muzzle.This fox is one of the few canines that can climb trees.

Black and brown fox (Silver Fox)

The black-brown fox is actually the same species of red fox, differing only in a different pigmentation. There was a time when the black fox was considered one of the most valuable fur foxes that could be found. People still breed and raise them for their fur.

Arctic fox (Arctic Fox)

Arctic fox can be found throughout the Arctic Circle. Its thick fur protects the animal from colossal low temperatures(-70 degrees Celsius). These foxes have relatively short legs and muzzle, which allows them to keep warm.

Cross Fox

Another type of red fox, which is the most common in North America.

Photos of foxes taken in their natural environment habitat, and short descriptions species will give you an idea of these colorful furry wild animals.

Photo by: Roselyn Raymond

Photo by: Kai Fagerstrom

Photo by: Wenda Atkin

The red fox is the most widespread, therefore the most diverse species of all foxes. They can be found throughout the Northern Hemisphere and in Australia. These agile hunters are known to be able to jump over fences two meters high. (Photo by: Roselyn Raymond)

marble fox

Photo by: unknown

The Arctic marbled fox is a subspecies of the red fox. She does not occur in nature with this color, people raised her for the sake of fur. (Photo credit: Ewald Mario)

Gray fox or tree fox

Photo credit: Variegated Vibes

The gray fox is common in North America. It is distinguished by pale gray fur with a black tail tip. This fox is one of the few canids that can climb trees. (Photo credit: John Payne)

Black-brown fox or silver fox

Photo by: Shelley Evans

This is another type of fox with a beautiful color from completely black with a white tail tip to gray with a blue or brown tint. The silver fox is known as one of the most valuable fur-bearing animals. They are still bred and raised for their fur. (Photo credit: Matt Knot)

Photo by: Daniel Parent

LIsitsa gray, Gray Fox. Latin name: Urocyon cinereoargenteus. The Latin generic name Urocyonis is based on the Greek words oura (tail) and kyon (dog). The specific name cinereoargenteusis is derived from Greek word cinereus (ash) and argenteus (silver), indicating the dominant color of the fox. Other names: tree fox

It is found in most of the area North America from the southern regions of Canada to the Isthmus of Panama also in the north of South America (Venezuela and Colombia). The gray fox has not been found in the Rocky Mountains in the far northwest of the United States. The gray fox disappeared from Canada in the late 17th century, but recently they have been found in southern Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec. In a number of places it disappeared after the acclimatization of the brown fox from Europe. Some researchers argue that the causal relationship between these events is doubtful. In their opinion, the decline in the number of the gray fox, and the spread of the brown fox, was the result of a change in the nature of human land use.

The gray fox is smaller than the brown fox and looks like a small dog with a fluffy tail. The gray fox has short powerful legs, strong, hooked claws that make it easy to climb tree trunks and branches. Compared to other canines, the gray fox has a rather variegated color, and its coat is rather short and coarse. The tail is triangular in cross section, not rounded. Skull length: from 9.5 to 12.8 cm. Dental formula, as in a brown fox, the number of teeth is 42.

Color: The back, sides and upper part of the long, fluffy tail are gray or dark. o-grey with silver dots. The muzzle is also grey. The underside of the neck, chest, abdomen, and the front and inside of the legs are distinguished by a whitish-gray color. The tip of the tail is black. Slightly noticeable black stripes appear on the back (sometimes they are clearly visible). The crown, lateral part of the neck, the edges of the abdomen and the outer sides of the legs are painted in reddish-gray tones, and sometimes they have a bright reddish-orange color. Because of this coloration, the gray fox is sometimes erroneously identified as brown fox, which can always be distinguished by its black legs and white tip of the tail. Foxes are almost black.

Body length - 48-69 cm; head length - 9.5-12.8 cm; tail length - 25-40 cm; height at the withers - about 30 cm.

Weight: The weight of the gray fox ranges from 2.5 to 7 kg, but most often it is 3.5-6 kg. Females are always slightly lighter than males.

Lifespan: Gray foxes live for 6 years in the wild, maximum lifespan in captivity: 15 years.

Voice: Similar to other canines, foxes communicate with each other and use sounds. These vocalizations include aggressive yelps, resonant howls, soft whimpers, and specific screams. Among the sounds made by a gray fox at the sight of a person, the most characteristic is a sharp bark.

Habitat: Most often, the gray fox can be found in bushes, on forest edges, in mountain copses. In general, she prefers wooded area, although it is found in cultivated fields and in the vicinity of cities. Of the tree plantations, pine trees are the most preferred. The gray fox prefers pine groves to deciduous ones everywhere within the range, it is here that it mainly locates its lair. At the same time, for hunting and feeding, she often chooses deciduous tree and shrub plantations, in which small mammals are more numerous.

Foxes especially suffer from hunters, in particular during the hunting of wild turkeys. Special studies of the causes of mortality have shown that a person is guilty of mortality in 33% of individuals, 22% die from natural factors, 44% from unknown factors.

The gray fox is omnivorous and its diet is very diverse and depends on the season and habitat and includes: small vertebrates, especially rabbits, rodents, birds and eggs, insects. Sometimes she has to eat only plant foods (fruits, fruits, nuts, grains, etc.), the fox does not refuse carrion either. Thanks to its ability to climb trees, its diet can also contain purely arboreal creatures such as squirrels - in some places playing an important role in the diet of the gray fox, which is not the case with other wild dogs.

Gray foxes love to climb trees, which is why they are often referred to as "tree foxes". At the first danger, they often climb low or half-fallen, tilted trees. This ability likely allowed the gray fox to coexist with coyotes, while the brown fox population declined significantly with the increase in the coyote population.

How do gray foxes climb trees? Lightly grasping the trunk of a tree with its front paws, it pushes its body up with its hind legs, which, thanks to long and strong claws, firmly hold it on the trunk. In addition, the fox is able to jump onto the branching branches of a tree, using this ability to attack prey from above from an ambush. On the ground, when chasing prey or hiding from the enemy, the fox can reach speeds of up to 17 km / h, but only at relatively short distances.

It hunts mainly at night and twilight, and all day they lie down in a secluded place, sleep and rest. Animals are usually tied to the same place, so the way of life is sedentary, they have never been seen migrating. Burrows rarely dig on their own, but more often they occupy strangers, sometimes hollow trees are chosen as their own home, they can settle in crevices of rocks, voids under stones and trunks, even in abandoned buildings. In east Texas, a hollow was found used by a fox to rest about 10m above the ground in a large hollow oak tree. In central Texas, a den was found in a hollow living oak tree with an entrance 1m above the ground. An unusual lair was found under a pile of wood into which the fox had "tunneled."

Foxes need clean water to drink, so they visit the pond regularly. In this regard, they locate their lairs near the source drinking water, where, over time, a well-marked path is trampled.

social structure: They live in pairs, occupying a certain family territory. In the summer, while the cubs are growing up, gray foxes roam in family flocks, which break up by autumn. The area of the family plot varies from 3 to 27.6 km2, and in different family groups they usually partially overlap. Outside of the breeding season, the individual areas of males practically do not overlap, while the areas of males and females can overlap by 25-30%. The size of such an overlap depends both on the forage of the plots and on the season of the year. Being rather silent territories, gray foxes mark their territorial boundaries with the help of piles of dung and urine, which is left on the most visible landmarks such as tufts of grass and protruding structures: earthen hummocks, stumps, individual stones, etc. These scent marks are regularly updated, but especially in places frequented by animals. A specific smell is provided by a secret that produces a pair of violet glands located on both sides of the anus. Both males and females seem to raise their legs when marking their territory with urine. A pungent smell, very similar to that emitted by skunks, is easily detected even by humans in places where gray foxes often mark "border posts".

Reproduction: During the breeding season, numerous rather violent fights occur between males, after which the male winner remains with the female and forms a pair. After the appearance of offspring, males take an active part in obtaining food for puppies and protecting the boundaries of the family plot from the penetration of other foxes.

Season/Breeding Period: Rutting and mating times vary by latitude and are observed from December to April.

Puberty: Males reach sexual maturity at 10 months; females give birth at one year of age.

Pregnancy: Pregnancy lasts 51-63 days, with an average of 53 days.

Offspring: In a den carefully lined with dry grass, foliage or crushed tree bark, from 2 to 7 (average 3.8) black-brown, blind and helpless puppies are born. In puppies weighing about 100 g, the eyes are closed and they open only on the 10-14th day. Lactation: 7-9 weeks, and they begin to consume solid food from 5-6 weeks. If possible, as soon as the puppies have grown a little, the foxes try to change the old den to a new one due to mass reproduction they have fleas that are very pestering both adults and puppies.

At the age of four months, puppies begin to accompany adults on hunting trips.

Young puppies are in their first year and have been known to travel up to 84 km. Puppies are weaned at or around 6 weeks old. Gradually the pups learn to reclaim for themselves, at first leaving the den area to hunt with their parents when they are about 3 months old.

The fur of the gray fox is of rather low quality, so the gray fox is not of particular interest as an object of industrial hunting, but only as a sport. In the state of Texas, the gray fox is among the most important fur animals. The gray fox is abundant in desert areas - it often helps farmers in the fight against harmful rodents. When the gray fox itself becomes a pest, eating chickens and destroying crops, farmers shoot them or catch them with all kinds of traps.

Widespread species, no threat of destruction.

Fox gray or tree fox - a representative of wolves, more common in North America and in the northern part of South America. Disappeared from Canada, appeared in Southern Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec.

Appearance of the gray fox

The gray fox looks like a small dog with a beautiful fluffy tail. It is much smaller than brown foxes.

Appearance like common fox, only with a shorter muzzle and ears. On short powerful legs, tenacious nails are located that allow you to climb trees and branches well. Has a non-uniform coat color. The muzzle, back, sides and long fluffy tail are painted with gray or silvery light. Red light is spilled over the neck, sides of the head and torso. Below is present White light, the tip of the tail is painted black. The coat is short and coarse and covers the entire body of the fox. The tail of the fox is an unusual triangular shape.

Sixty-nine centimeters body length. Nine and a half centimeters head.
Weighing from two and a half to seven kg. The tail reaches forty centimeters.
Lives in nature for about six years, in zoos up to fifteen.

Gray fox habitat

The animal fell in love with forest thickets; it can also be found at the edge of the forest, small copses. Likes to approach crop fields, sometimes found in the vicinity of villages and cities. She considers pine groves her home, she makes a lair in them. But it hunts in deciduous woody shrubs, there are more small mammals for food. Foxes live in burrows, but rarely dig themselves, usually find secluded places, sometimes use tree hollows, settled between stones, other people's burrows.

live settled way life. Animals love to drink clean water, so habitats are chosen closer to the water. Trampled fox trails can be seen near the water.
When foxes see people, they bark, and in the forest they make other sounds similar to howling and whimpering.

Gray fox behavior

Because foxes like to climb trees, they are called tree foxes. When an unfamiliar or dangerous object approaches, with a quick jump and tenacious claws they cling to a hill, to fallen and small trees, stumps located higher. Clinging with hooked claws, they can jump to another tree. The fox is kept on the tree with strong powerful legs and strong claws, it can jump from the tree for prey.

In pursuit of prey or hiding from the enemy, runs at speeds up to seventeen kilometers, in short intervals. The tree serves as a shelter from the enemy, here she rests, but she breeds offspring in holes.

Foxes live in pairs, each family has its own border of the earth. They mark territorial spaces with their urine and droppings. All summer they roam in family flocks until the offspring grow up. Growing foxes leave their mothers for long distances, and in the future they look for mates. Area boundaries couples reach large areas up to 27 square meters. The outskirts of neighboring territories often intersect.

Reproduction of gray foxes

Depending on where they live, they breed from December to April. At this time, the males fight among themselves for the female, the winner forms a pair with her. When the babies appear, the males take care and get food for the little foxes and defend their territory.

Before giving birth, the lair is covered with dried leaves, grass, or small tree bark. The fox brings from two to seven babies. They are born blind, helpless, weighing one hundred grams no more. They open their eyes on the tenth, fourteenth day. They suckle their mother for seven, nine weeks, then they switch to solid food. There are a lot of fleas in the den, they seize the whole family. As soon as the puppies grow up a little and can move independently, the fox moves to another place. Upon reaching three months take away from breast milk. From the age of three months, babies are taught to hunt small animals.

Gray fox nutrition

The main diet of the tree fox consists of plant foods. Among all wolves, this variety is most prone to plant foods. It feeds on insects, mice, ground squirrels, hares, birds and their eggs, carrion. It feeds on fruits, bulbs and grains. A squirrel can be caught on a tree and eaten.

Representatives of the danger of the gray fox

A great danger to the gray fox is the hawk, golden eagle, large owls. They attack from above, the fox cannot cope with them. Red lynxes and dogs prey on small foxes.

The fur of the gray fox is not valued. Therefore, a person does not hunt a gray fox. The state of Texas is overrun with gray foxes. Animals love to catch mice in the farmers' fields, this helps in the fight against rodents. But often foxes become pests of farms, then they are caught with traps and shot.

Video about the gray fox

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Distribution: from southeastern Canada to Venezuela and Colombia, with the exception of part of the Great Plain and mountainous regions (Rocky Mountains) of the northwestern United States and the eastern coast of Central America (watersheds of Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and western Panama). Over the past 50 years, the total range of the gray fox has expanded to new areas and areas where the gray fox has been previously extirpated, including New England, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, Ontario, Manitoba, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Yute.

Gray foxes resemble small, slender dogs with bushy tails. The body is elongated, the legs are relatively short.

In adult gray foxes, the fur consists of a mixture of white, tan, black and grey. Their tail is approximately one third of their total body length and has a distinct black stripe along the dorsal surface and a black tip. The upper part of the head, back, sides and the rest of the tail are grey. The belly, chest, legs and sides of the head are reddish brown. Cheeks and throat are white. The area around the eyes has a thin black stripe from the outer corner of the eye towards the head. In addition, a broad black stripe runs from the inner corner of the eye, down the muzzle to the mouth. Newborn puppies are dark brown.

The pupils of the eyes are oval gray foxes differ from redheads (Vulpes vulpes), in which the pupils are slit.

There is no sexual dimorphism, but males are slightly larger than females. Males have longer pelvic regions and heel bones, as well as wider shoulder blades and more powerful leg bones.

Length 80-112.5 cm, tail length 27.5-44.3 cm, height at the withers 10-15 cm. Weight 3.6-6.8 kg, up to a maximum of 9 kg.

Gray foxes prefer to live in deciduous forests, alternating with thick woodlands. Many populations thrive where forests alternate with farmlands, but unlike the red fox, they do not live in purely agricultural areas. Proximity to water key feature most preferred habitat. In areas where gray foxes and red foxes are found, the former prefer mixed forests with dense undergrowth. In the absence of red foxes, they prefer other habitats.

Most often they live at altitudes up to 1000-3000 m above sea level.

In eastern North America, the gray fox is most closely related to the deciduous or southern pine forests interspersed with some old fields and clear forests. In western North America, it is commonly found in mixed agricultural, woodland, chaparral, coastal landscape, and scrub environments. This species occupies forest areas and with abundant prey habitat in Central America and wooded mountainous places in South America. Also, gray foxes are found in semi-arid areas in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where there is ample hiding places. Apparently they are doing well in some urban areas.

Territoriality of gray foxes is poorly studied. Territories are marked with urine and faeces, but in many areas the patches overlap considerably. Family plots are formed so that the separate territories of the pair overlap. The family plots themselves usually do not overlap. The red fox probably reaches peak densities every 10 years, with an average density of about one family for every 10 km².

However, the total size of personal and family plots of the gray fox has not been determined. Foxes tracked from May to August 1980 and from January to August 1981 had an average monthly home plot in 299 hectares, and the average family in 676 hectares. The complexity of the definition lies in the fact that although some individuals occupy the same area for a long time, their personal areas, as a rule, change from month to month. Only part of the home range is used that night. Composite home ranges of 4 gray foxes in another study ranged from 106 to 172 ha.

Gray foxes are more active at night and at dusk, resting during the day in dense vegetation or secluded rocky areas. Activity levels decrease sharply at sunrise and increase at sunset. Typically, gray foxes leave the resting area during the daytime shortly before sunset, explore the surrounding area, and then move to the hunting area. Shortly before sunrise, they usually return to the daytime resting area. At the same time, gray foxes are often active during the daytime.

Gray foxes usually change their resting places every day, starting in late spring when new vegetation grows. In winter, shelters are reused.

The gray fox is the only member of the family that can climb trees, especially to avoid danger. However, these foxes often climb trees for rest, sometimes quite high. One gray fox was observed resting 4.6 m above the ground on a branch of a giant saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea).

gray foxes pportunisticallyomnivorous. Although they prey on small vertebrates and birds, fruits and invertebrates also make up a significant portion of their diet, usually proportions vary by season. So, rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus), mouse-like (Peromyscus spp., Neotoma spp., Sigmodon hispidus, etc.) are most their winter diet. Starting in spring, invertebrates, fruits, nuts and grains are included in the diet. Preferred insects are orthopterans and beetles. Depending on the region, the fox often mainly depends on rabbits and other small mammals in winter, insects and fruits in summer. In some areas, the overall diet may consist of predominant plant foods.

If the prey is large, the foxes hide the remains, often burying it. After that, they usually mark the hiding place with urine or use the smell of glands on their paws and tail. When possible, gray foxes may also feed on carrion.

Like other members of the family, gray foxes communicate by barking and growling. Young foxes usually play with each other. Males, in an attempt to attract potential breeding partners, raise their hind legs to show their genitals. Adult animals use their scents to mark territory.

Lairs are usually found in hollow trees (the highest discovered den was in a hollow at a height of 9.1 m) or logs, in small caves, cracks between rocks, abandoned buildings, tangled shrubs, less often in abandoned burrows of other mammals. Occasionally, gray foxes themselves dig holes in loose soil.

Thought to be monogamous, but direct evidence is lacking. There are reports of rare cases of polygamy and polyandry.

During the rearing of offspring, there are family groups consisting of a male, female and young. Pairs form in autumn, before breeding occurs in winter. During October and September, when females attract partners, males usually show more aggression. Like domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), gray foxes have a violet gland. Foxes also have additional scent glands on their snout and foot pads. While these glands are primarily used to demarcate territory, they can also be used to attract potential mates.

Reproduction takes place annually. The breeding season varies by geographic region, altitude, and habitat quality, and starts from late winter before early spring(from December to March). Where the gray fox is sympatric with the red fox, it starts breeding 2-4 weeks later than red foxes.

Pregnancy from 53 to 63 days. The maximum number of births usually occurs in April. Litter from 1 to 7 puppies, averaging 3.8. However, litter size is not well understood. Puppies are born blind and almost naked. The average weight at birth is 86-95 g. The eyes open 9 days after birth. Milk feeding continues up to 6 weeks, but weaning starts from 2-3 weeks, then only complementary feeding continues. Solid food begins to be taken at about 3 weeks of age, which is mainly supplied by the father. Parents begin to teach puppies to hunt at about 4 months. Until then, both parents hunt separately, and the puppies practice their hunting skills by pouncing and chasing the half-dead prey they bring. First of all, their father teaches them to hunt. The pups depend on their parents for up to 10 months, after which they become sexually mature and disperse. According to other sources, families break up at the end of summer and autumn.

At about 10 months old, both males and females become sexually mature. Most females give birth in the first year of life.

Life expectancy both in captivity and in the wild ranges from 6 to 8 years. However, the oldest recorded wild gray fox was 10 years old and the oldest in captivity was 12 years old.

The main enemies of gray foxes in nature are red lynxes (Lynx rufus), golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), eagle owls (Bubo virginianus) and coyotes (Canis latrans). Unlike red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), which use speed and maneuverability to escape predators, gray foxes hide in shelters (for example, in thickets). From terrestrial predators, gray foxes can use their ability to climb trees.

In addition to natural death, the largest number deaths are the responsibility of humans and therefore are the greatest threat.