Sly and crafty, foxes are one of the most beautiful and interesting animals on Earth. The fox is a member of the Canidae family and is part of the order Carnivora, subclass species of mammals. Members of this family are called “canids,” and include animals like dogs, wolves, coyotes, dingoes, jackals and African wild dogs. Of the numerous species of foxes, the red fox is singularly the most populous canid in the world; this fox has colonized itself across the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. The red fox is so prevalent that in England, there are no other native fox species. The red fox is also what most people think of whenever they are thought of; it is the most widely depicted fox in popular culture. A male fox is called a “dog,” while a female fox is called a “vixen.” A young fox is called a “kit,” and a group of foxes is called a “skulk”. Want to know more? Read below for more fox wall art facts.
Communication
Foxes, like most other canids, communicate verbally. That said, if you’re expecting foxes to bark like dogs, they do not. Although foxes do indeed “bark,” it does not have the deep bass present in most other dog verbalizations. Instead, a fox bark is a shrill and high-pitched sound. This bark acts as a warning for intruders to leave its area. Aside from this warning bark, foxes have been studied in the wild to have over 20 different verbalizations. Some of them include coyote-like howls and even one that sounds like a human child crying. The most distinct noise that foxes make is called a “gekker.” A gekker occurs when a fox is fighting or playing; the noise is a sort of nervous vocalization that happens when a fox is very exciting. A gekker has been said to sound like a child chuckling. Read below for more fox wall art facts.
Family
Across fox species, the family dynamic tends to be extremely varied. Some foxes form strong bonds, while some are mostly independent. Some foxes live using a hybrid of the two. The red fox, for example, lives in a small family unit with one dominant pair and up to 5 other individuals, usually offspring. In this family structure, only the dominant female will produce kits, with the rest of the family taking care of them. As kits mature, they usually leave to form their own families at around 10 to 18 months. Occasionally, kits will stay with their parents for the duration of their lives. When offspring stays within the family unit, they usually help raise the next generation of kits instead of making their own offspring. Read below for more fox wall art facts.
Experiments
Can you imagine if foxes were domesticated just like dogs? In Russia, they conducted an experiment to do exactly that. In the 1950s, Russians began using foxes that had been specifically bred for fur production. To start, the foxes in question were separated based on behavior. Ones that fled the least and were the least aggressive when in contact with humans were put into one group. Foxes that fled the most and were the most aggressive when in contact with humans were put into another. Only foxes from the first group continued in the experiment. The most “tame” foxes were bred with each other, and their offspring was again separated into specific groups thus starting the process again. Within the span of 8 to 10 generations, scientists were able to produce relatively tame animals. They came to be known as silver foxes. That said, this specific study is no longer funded by the Russian government and has since officially stopped. There are Russian citizens who still breed “domesticated” foxes for use as pets. Read below for more fox wall art facts.
True
Did you know that although there are 37 types of foxes, there are only 12 that are considered “true” foxes? True foxes are those who belong to the vulpus genus. Wondering what the most prolific fox from the vulpus genus is? Well, the red fox of course! It’s also the most wide spread carnivore in the world! After the red fox, the next most populous is the grey fox which is fairly similar in all aspects other than color. The other species that comprise the vulpus genus are all much smaller than the red and gray foxes. These other species include the cat-sized cape fox and the tiny fennec fox, which is about the size of a chihuahua. Interested in knowing the average life span of the red and gray fox? Although capable of living upwards of 10 years, their life expectancy is only 4 years in the wild. Read below for more fox wall art facts.
Arctic
One of the most visually stunning foxes is the arctic fox. Weighing only seven pounds, with most of that weight being fur, this creature lives in one of the most harsh and hostile environments on the planet. A beautiful snow white color, the arctic fox perfectly camouflages into its surround for 9 months of the year. During the other 3 months, the arctic fox sheds and regrows its fur. Funnily enough, their new coats are brown! They turn a solid white within a month’s time. The arctic fox keeps itself warm with thick, specialized fur on its paws and a bushy tail that it uses to curl up and conserve body heat with. The arctic fox’s hearing ability is so fine tuned, that it can hear the smallest creatures moving beneath the snow! We hope you enjoyed these fox wall art facts.
Conclusion
Aren’t foxes interesting? They’re so interesting that we’re going to give you a few bonus facts! First, red foxes aren’t always red; they come in a variety of shades from light brown to black. Second, a fox bones are 30% lighter than those of a dog. Third, gray foxes have retractable claws like cats. Fourth, foxes are classified as carnivores, but don’t mind eating fruit and wild vegetables! We hope you learned something from our blog! Thanks for reading these fox wall art facts.