The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America and the steppes of Asia.
Similar species: Carnivorans
By Paul Dirksen
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Uploaded Dec 6, 2020. Captured in Westerduinweg 9, 2111 VJ Aerdenhout, Netherlands.
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What a beauty! The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) with its bushy tail, dog-like features, and cat-like behaviors is the most widely distributed carnivore in the world! They live on every continent, except Antarctica, and thrive in urban and rural areas.
Not only are foxes cute, but they are also incredibly fascinating due to their awesome creature features!
1. Agility: Foxes are light on their feet and incredibly nimble. They can run over 30 mph and jump nearly two meters high. Plus, they can swim.
2. Red foxes have a built-in blanket: Their tails make up 70% of their body length! They use their tails for balance and as a warm blanket on chilly nights.
3. It pays to advertise: Red fox relationships are sometimes monogamous, but often polygamous. Regardless of their proclivities, they have a one-track mind during mating season. Well, the males do, at least! When a female approaches estrus, a male will follow her everywhere, urinating on everything, and showing no interest in food. This is the male’s not-so-subtle way of advertising his interest in mating with her.
4. Foxes use the Earth’s magnetic field to locate prey under the snow: they see the earth's magnetic field as a "ring of shadow" on their eyes, which darkens when the fox faces magnetic north. When this shadow and the sound of prey line up, they pounce like a cat—diving headfirst into the snow to capture prey.
5. They could probably hear a pin drop: Red foxes have incredible hearing! They can hear the squeak of a mouse from a distance of 100 meters!
{Spotted in the Netherlands by Paul Dirksen} #JungleDragon #Redfox #Vulpesvulpes
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