The Red Fox: Symbol Of Cunning
In fables, the red fox always seems to represent cunning and intelligence. And that’s how we perceive one of the animals that inhabit the forests of much of our planet and that is so admired and persecuted at the same time.
Red Fox Characteristics
The red fox, or common fox, is a canid, that is, it is related to wolves, but also to dogs. It is medium in size: from the head to the beginning of the tail, it measures about 70 centimeters. The tail alone can measure another 40 or 50 cm.
It is called the “red fox”, but it is usually orange in color.
However, it can also appear in many other colors, such as brown, gray or white. In its most common color, it has black ears and legs; the chest and belly are white.
Physically, your big ears stand out. Compared to other dogs, it has a long, slender nose, much narrower at the tip than at the base.
And, of course, its lush tail is characteristic, as it can measure up to half its body.
Unlike many other mammals, their pupils are elongated and vertical rather than circular. It is a nocturnal animal.
But he doesn’t see very well in low-light conditions, relying mainly on his sense of smell and hearing.
red fox behavior
As folk tales tell us, the red fox is an intelligent animal with great adaptability.
Its natural habitat is the forest, but it is also able to live in areas populated by humans, because they consume simple food.
They are twilight animals and tend to be nocturnal, that is: like felines, they are more active after sunset.
Furthermore, they prefer to hunt and breed at night. In urbanized areas, where there is artificial light, it is very common to find them late at night.
They are fast, agile animals that live alone or in pairs. They are territorial beings and do not like to live in groups, so they mark the boundaries of their territory with a characteristic smell.
They can live in pairs or families when there are puppies, but when they become adults this is rare.
During the day, it rests in burrows and may have more than one in its territory. The burrows are excavated by themselves. But they can also take advantage of holes or natural projections or steal them from other animals, such as badgers or rabbits.
They don’t have the muscles necessary to make many of the facial movements essential in canid communication, so they developed other methods.
They are “chatters”: they can emit a wide variety of sounds. They can also communicate through their tail and the odors left on their territory.
red fox habitat
The red fox’s main habitat is the forest, although they can adapt and live in open land as well.
In recent decades, moreover, they are appearing in urban areas: it is common to see them on the streets of rural cities or on the outskirts that surround large cities.
The red fox covers a large part of the planet: they are in North America, throughout Europe and in much of Asia.
There is a small population in North Africa and it was artificially introduced into Australia, where it is causing problems for the native fauna.
red fox feeding
This canid is an omnivorous animal, that is, it can eat all kinds of food. It is an opportunistic animal that will take advantage of the food it finds and hunt animals in the vicinity of its lair.
In most of its habitats, the red fox is an active hunter that feeds on small mammals such as rats or shrews. It can also hunt insects or small birds.
However, it is able to attack nests to eat eggs. If she lives in a maritime zone, she will go to the beaches to look for shellfish and shellfish and even catch some fish. If you are in a wet area, you can hunt amphibians such as frogs and lizards.
This animal has such a great adaptability that it is able to feed on almost everything it finds.
In areas where they live with humans, they often dig through garbage and feed on the food scraps they discard.
The red fox is a curious and intelligent animal. Thanks to its adaptability, it managed to survive in places where other canids disappeared.
It has also spread across most of the planet and thrives in hostile environments into which it was artificially introduced.
