A Work In Progress - 8

THE FOX
The fox is a scavenger carnivours dog, generally found in urban city areas in the northern Hemisphere. The fox is a nocturnal mammal, meaning that the fox only goes out a night to hunt for prey.

Wild foxes tend live for around 6-7 years, but some foxes have been known to be older than 13 in captivity. The wild fox hunts for the mouse and other small mammals and birds, but foxes appear to enjoy all species of insect.

They are solitary hunters even if living in a family group, and they are notorious for killing extra prey and burying it for later. This activity is probably how the "sly" signature got attached to the fox, although, foxes, in general, are very bright, inquisitive and intelligent animals.

The red fox usually lives in a small family unit with a dominant pair, and two to five other individuals, usually maturing offspring. Similar to wolves, it is generally only the dominant female who will have kits, and the other family members will often assist in the raising of the kits.

Occasionally, a father fox has been known to rear young on his own, after the demise of the mother. Red foxes and many other fox species dig simple, but roomy dens when the babies are about to be born, and the family will stay close by for up to three months while the young kits grow. The whole family takes care of the kits.

The rest of the year, foxes usually live basically out in the open, bedding down by turning in a tight circle to tamp down a little bed for themselves, just as we see domestic dogs do on the living room rug.

As the kits mature, they may leave to form their own family units, usually at about 10 to 18 months, or, sometimes will stay with their parents for life. When youngsters stay on, they often remain subordinate to the parents and help with the raising of the next generations of kits without producing offspring themselves.

Note:
1.- The red fox is not always red, but a variety of shades from cream to almost black.
2.- A foxes bones are about 30% lighter than the same size bone of a domestic dog.
3.- Is found in the more rural areas of the Northern hemisphere.
4.- The grey fox has partially retractable claws - almost like a cat.
5.- The fox is taxonomically a carnivore, but will eat almost anything, including fruit
6.- The "fox hunt" is one of the most common themes in oil paintings, but rarely depicts the fox.