Tuesday, March 24, 2009

20 Fascinating Facts About Fox

Fox is one of those few animals that are found all over the globe. It is a carnivore in nature. Here are some fascinating facts about foxes that is not generally known to people.

  • The lifespan of fox is about 10 years. But they die in 2-3 years because of road accidents, hunting by humans or bigger animals like wolves etc. They live for 10 years in Zoos.
  • The smallest species of fox is the Fennec Fox.
fennec fox, smallest of foxesImage Source
  • Fox is a member of the dog family
  • There are 27 species of fox but only 12 of them are true foxes.
  • The foxes are popular all over the globe.
  • Arctic foxes do not hibernate unlike other animals in the arctic.
arctic white fox, that does not hibernate
Image Source
  • Foxes are smaller than dogs.
  • The largest fox and most common species is the red fox. It has reddish coat, with a white underbelly and a bushy tail. It is like a big cat.
reddish foxes, red fox
Image Source
  • These are funny animals in that they play with their prey before killing it, just like the cat.
  • The fox is an excellent tree climber
  • The arctic fox is white and can camouflage with the snow
  • The Fennec fox weighs only 1.5 kg. Its hearing capacity is exceptional. It can catch its prey even when it is moving underground
  • They are known very well for their night sounds (wow….)
  • The youngest fox in a family is referred to as kit
  • The natural enemies of the fox are the wolves, coyotes, eagles and lynx.
  • They prey on rodents, small birds, rabbits and play a role in balancing ecology.
a jumping red foxImage Source
  • Japanese consider fox to be a sacred animal
  • Except Fennec, foxes are extremely wary of humans and are not domesticated ny humans
  • A Silver fox is domesticated by scientists in Russia after 50 years of selective breeding experiments. This fox is made to be submissive, wag its tail when happy like a dog and become tame.
  • Foxes gather variety of foods ranging from grasshoppers to fruits.


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