Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Species profile: Red fox

Hello again, welcome back to animals under threat. Today we will be covering the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes). 

The Red fox resides all over Europe with the exception of Iceland, Asia, parts of North America, and was introduced to Australia. It has also been found in Northern parts of Africa (Malkemper & Peichl, 2018). The Red Fox has 45 different subspecies with the European Red Fox been the most common found. It mainly feeds on small rodents, birds and carrion, but will also eat plant materials (Soe et al, 2017).

Picture of European Red Fox by Airwolfhound from Hertfordshire, UK

Red foxes are characterized by their red-orange fur, elongated body, short limbs, a tail with a white tip that is longer than the body, front forepaws have five digits and hind feet only have four digits. Both front legs, back legs and ears are black. Female foxes are called vixens while young cubs are called kits. Red Foxes can have a variety of different colour fur due to genetic mutations and also depending on the area they live in (Red Fox, 2017).

Red fox kits by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters and fox colours by unknown.

Red Foxes marks their territory with urine to keep other foxes out and also to mark where food is being stored for winter. Scent marking is important for foxes besides territorial demarcation, it is also used for social interactions (Soulsbury & Fawcett, 2015). Red Foxes can live in small family groups with a dominant mated pair and their kits with the previous generation helping with looking after the current kits. Non-breeding vixens will protect, groom, play and retrieve kits (kin selection) of the dominant breeding pair. This only happen if there is a surplus of food available or else most of the previous generation foxes will try to survive on their own (Soulsbury & Fawcett, 2015).
Picture at bottom by Keven Law and picture of Red Fox with Coypu by unknown.


In the 1870s, the Red Fox was introduced to Australia by hunters to help control the rabbit population and for sport hunting (Saunders et al, 2010). Habitat loss and alteration of natural landscapes in Europe has led to a decrease in the Red Foxes diet as their natural prey begin to disappear or become harder to find. Also changes to the landscape have affected the burrows which Red Foxes need to have their young in (Cancio et al, 2017). Diseases are a major factor affecting Red Foxes with rabies and mange being some of the most dangerous. If a fox becomes affected by rabies, it will become unable to drink, have a fear of water (hydrophobia), paranoia, inflammation of the brain, agitation, abnormal behaviour leading it to progress to coma, then death (Sterner & Smith,2006).

Hopefully this information may help show that the Red Fox not just a pest, it is an animal that needs help. Next time, we will be covering a colourful spider that loves to dance.






References

Cancio, I., González-Robles, A., Bastida, J.M., Isla, J., Manzaneda, A.J., Salido, T. & Rey, P.J. 2017, "Landscape degradation affects red fox (Vulpes vulpes) diet and its ecosystem services in the threatened Ziziphus lotus scrubland habitats of semiarid Spain", Journal of Arid Environments, vol. 145, pp. 24-34.

Malkemper, E.P. & Peichl, L. 2018, "Retinal photoreceptor and ganglion cell types and topographies in the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus)", Journal of Comparative Neurology, vol. 526, no. 13, pp. 2078-2098.   

Red Fox. (2017). In Encyclopaedia Britannica, Britannica concise encyclopedia. Chicago, IL: Britannica Digital Learning. Retrieved from https://elibrary.jcu.edu.au/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/ebconcise/red_fox/0?institutionId=429

Saunders, G.R., Gentle, M.N. & Dickman, C.R. 2010, "The impacts and management of foxes Vulpes vulpes in Australia", Mammal Review, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 181.

Soe, E., Davison, J., Süld, K., Valdmann, H., Laurimaa, L. & Saarma, U. 2017, "Europe‐wide biogeographical patterns in the diet of an ecologically and epidemiologically important mesopredator, the red fox Vulpes vulpes: a quantitative review", Mammal Review, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 198-211.

Soulsbury, C.D. & Fawcett, J.K. 2015, "Ontogenic patterns of scent marking in red foxes, Vulpes vulpes (Carnivora: Canidae)", Folia Zoologica, vol. 64, no. 1, pp. 40-44.

Sterner, R.T. & Smith, G.C. 2006, "Modelling wildlife rabies: Transmission, economics, and conservation", Biological Conservation, vol. 131, no. 2, pp. 163-179

Picture references



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