small to medium-sized omnivorous mammal belonging to the family Canidae From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A fox is a small mammalian carnivore. They hunt and eat live prey, mostly rabbits and rodents (squirrels and mice). They may also eat grasshoppers, birds' eggs, and even fruit and berries. Sometimes they eat carrion.[1] Foxes are the smallest members of the dog family Canidae.
Twelve species belong to the Vulpes genus of monophyletic "true foxes". There are about another 25 living or extinct species which are sometimes called foxes.
The fox has pointed ears, narrow snout, and a bushy tail.
Foxes are swift and agile runners which live in family groups. A female fox is called a vixen, and a male is called a dog. Foxes' tails are multi-purpose organs. Their bushy tail helps them keep warm while they are sleeping in cold weather.[2] It is also part of the animal's food store for wintertime.[3] Foxes' plump, bushy tail is easily seen, and is used for sending signals to its family members.[4] The tail is also used for balance while running.[4]
Foxes are found on all continents (except Antarctica), mostly living in forest, shrubland, and desert regions. They were not native to Australia, but were introduced in some way. The most common fox species is the red fox. Red foxes have reddish-brown fur, and the tail tip is white. In the United Kingdom, it was a common sport for people to hunt foxes with horses and dogs. This is now banned.
Later, foxes starts having subtypes such as Fennec, for example.
The informal term 'true fox' refers to members of the Vulpes genus.
There are 12 species of Vulpus. They are:
The arctic fox is included in this genus as Vulpes lagopus. There is genetic evidence that shows it is probably a true fox.[6][7]
Some species of true fox are extinct. Fossils have been found of:
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