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Fox

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Mammals

             iFox
   Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Mammalia
   Order:   Carnivora
   Family:  Canidae
   Genus:   Vulpes

   A fox is a member of any of 27 species of small omnivorous canids. The
   animal most commonly called a fox in the Western world is the Red Fox
   (Vulpes vulpes), although different species of foxes can be found on
   almost every continent. The presence of foxes all over the globe has
   led to their appearance in the popular culture and folklore of many
   nations, tribes, and other cultural groups.

   Fox terminology is different from that used for most canids. Male foxes
   are known as dogs, tods or reynard, females are referred to as vixens,
   and their young are called kits or cubs, as well as pups. A group of
   foxes is a skulk.

Etymology

   Modern English "fox" is derived from Old English with the same
   spelling, the Old English word itself comes from the Proto-Germanic
   word "*fukhs", compare German "Fuchs", Gothic "fauho", Old Norse "foa"
   and Dutch "vos", which corresponds to the Proto-Indo-European word
   "*puk" meaning "tail" (compare Sanskrit "puccha" meaning "tail" as
   well). The bushy tail is also the source of words for "fox" in Welsh
   ("llwynog", from "llwyn" meaning "bush") and "fox" in Lithuanian is
   "uodegis" from "uodega" meaning " tail". In Irish there are two words,
   the standard "sionnach" but also "madra rua" meaning "red dog".

General characteristics

   An urban fox investigating a pet rabbit in a garden in Birmingham, UK
   Enlarge
   An urban fox investigating a pet rabbit in a garden in Birmingham, UK
   An urban fox in High Park, Toronto. Note how skinny it is.
   Enlarge
   An urban fox in High Park, Toronto. Note how skinny it is.
   Red Fox
   Enlarge
   Red Fox

   Most foxes live 2–3 years but can survive for up to 10 years, or longer
   in captivity. With most species roughly the size of a domestic cat,
   foxes are smaller than other members of the family Canidae, such as
   wolves, jackals, and domestic dogs. Recognizable characteristics also
   include pointed muzzles and bushy tails. Other physical characteristics
   vary according to their habitat. For example, the Desert Fox has large
   ears and short fur, whereas the Arctic Fox has small ears and thick,
   insulating fur.

   Unlike many canids, foxes are usually not pack animals. Typically, they
   are solitary, opportunistic feeders that hunt live prey (especially
   rodents). Using a pouncing technique practiced from an early age, they
   are usually able to kill their prey quickly. Foxes also gather a wide
   variety of other foods ranging from grasshoppers to fruit and berries.

   Foxes are normally extremely wary of humans and are not kept as pets,
   although the Silver Fox was successfully domesticated in Russia after a
   45 year selective breeding program.

   However, foxes are to be readily found in cities and domestic gardens.

Classification

   Foxes include members of the following genera:
     * Alopex ( Arctic Fox)
     * Cerdocyon ( Crab-eating Fox)
     * Dusicyon ( Falkland Island Fox)
     * Fennecus ( Fennec, or Desert Fox)
     * Lycalopex ( Hoary Fox)
     * Otocyon (Bat-eared Fox)
     * Pseudalopex (four South American species, including the Culpeo)
     * Urocyon ( Gray Fox, Island Fox and Cozumel Fox)
     * Vulpes (the ten species of "true" foxes, including the Red Fox
       (vulpes vulpes)

Vocalization

   Foxes do not come together in chorus like wolves or coyotes. Fox
   families, however, keep in contact with a wide array of different
   sounds. These sounds grade into one another and span five octaves; each
   fox has its own characteristically individual voice. Fox noises can be
   divided, with a few exceptions, into two different groups: contact
   sounds and interaction sounds. The former is used by foxes
   communicating over long distances, the latter in close quarters .

   "Wow-wow-wow"
          The best-known vulpine noise is a sort of barking that spans
          three to five syllables. "Conversations" made up of these noises
          often occur between widely spaced foxes. As their distance
          decreases, the sound becomes quieter. A cub is greeted with the
          quietest version of this sound.

   The alarm bark
          This monosyllabic sound is made by an adult to warn cubs of
          danger. From far away it sounds like a sharp bark, but at closer
          range it resembles a muffled cough, like a football rattle or a
          stick along a picket fence.

   Gekkering
          This is a stuttering, throaty noise made at aggressive
          encounters. It is most frequently heard in the courting season,
          or when kits are at play.

   The vixen's wail
          This is a long, drawn-out, monosyllabic, and rather eerie wail
          most commonly made during the breeding season; it is widely
          thought that it is made by a vixen in heat summoning dog-foxes.
          Contrary to common belief, however, it is also made by the
          males, evidently serving some other purpose as well. This noise
          fits into neither the contact nor the interaction group.

   Purring
          As seen in a BBC news report on 5th October 2006, tamed foxes
          purr when cuddled.

Ecobalance

   Arctic Fox (summer coat)
   Enlarge
   Arctic Fox (summer coat)

   In some countries, such as Australia, which lacks similar carnivores ,
   introduced red foxes predate on native wildlife, some to the point of
   extinction, and become an invasive species. However, many other fox
   species are endangered.

   Foxes can also be used for helpful environmental purposes. They have
   been successfully employed to control pests on fruit farms, where they
   leave the fruit intact.

   Historians believe foxes have been imported into non-native
   environments long before the colonial era. The first example of the
   introduction of the fox into a new habitat by humans seems to be
   Neolithic Cyprus. Stone carvings representing foxes have been found in
   the early settlement of Göbekli Tepe in eastern Turkey.

Trivia

   Two Norwegian municipalities have a fox in their coat-of-arms: Dyrøy
   and Vegårshei.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
