Foxes have 12 kinds and are found everywhere on the Earth. Foxes are unique in their characteristics. They act like cats and look very familiar to a dog. After having many characteristics familiar with other animals, the question is, are foxes canine or feline? Discovering and learning about this animal will help us understand this question. Let’s dig into it!
Are Foxes Canine?
Foxes are canines because they belong to the Canidse family of animals. Jackals, wolves, dogs, and raccoons are also part of the canine family. That makes them look like a domestic dog. Canines are also called Canids. Their characteristics include long legs, long muzzles, bushy tails, and slender build. Foxes have all the characteristics of the canine family.
How Are Foxes Canine?
The most common feature that distinguishes the canine family is the teeth. All animals of the canine family have long, pointed, and sharp teeth. Their teeth are especially suited to crack a bone and shred the flesh. This feature makes a fox the true canine because they have sharp pointed teeth and their smile proves it.
Most of the animals in the canine family are carnivorous, and some of them are also omnivorous. Foxes often prefer meat to be their deal. But as we already know foxes also have some characteristics related to cats. So, they eat a variety of food like dairy products and eggs. Foxes are opportunists so they eat scavenges and carrion in the human trash as well.
Why Are Foxes Compared to Cats?
Though foxes are canines, they are very often compared to cats. The main reasons behind these are that both foxes and cats share the same preferences for smaller mammals like rats and mice. Both used to prey on squirrels and small birds as well. Both of them can hear a mouse squeak from over 100 yards away. Both have a 260-degree field of vision.
Also, they have sensitive whiskers that help them to navigate in the dark. Retractable claws are another feature that cats and foxes have in common. These claws make them the only members of the canine family that can climb trees. Also, foxes are the only members that walk on the balls of their feet. Having that many similar characteristics, it’s not surprising that foxes are compared to cats.
Cats are afraid of going for raccoons or snakes. Large foxes like the red fox have no trouble hunting down a snake or a raccoon. So, do you still think that foxes are canines? They are canines whether they have similar characteristics to felines or not.
How are Foxes Different from Other Canines?
Now that you know the answer to the question, are foxes canine? Now let’s discover how they are different from other canines.
Appearance: The main apparent difference between a fox and a wolf is their size. The Red Fox is the largest species of the foxes. The red foxes have 1.3 feet of height and an average weight of 31 pounds. This is the same size and weight for a small or medium domestic dog. Small wild dogs and coyotes are twice the size and weight of a fox. The wolves are six times their size.
The red foxes share a similar colorization with red wolves’ signature color. The red wolf’s color is more reddish brown than the true color of the red fox.
The triangular face, pointed ears, longer snouts, and narrower frames also distinguish them from other canine families in appearance.
Diet and Behaviour: Foxes share a den with one male or two females, whereas wolves and dogs form packs. Dogs and wolves are social animals as they hunt in groups. Foxes are solitary as they hunt alone.
Wolves and coyotes are carnivorous and they hardly eat anything other than meat. Whereas, foxes are omnivorous and like eating other things besides meat. Wolves are generally wary of coming anywhere close to human dwellings. But foxes are not wary of humans and can approach even urban areas.
Foxes usually communicate with each other with higher-pitched yips or barks than wolves or coyotes. During the mating seasons, foxes produce a loud and shrill scream.
Speed of the Fox
Foxes are small animals but they are generally faster than you think. A red fox can achieve a top speed of 50 km/h. But that’s not it as the grey fox can surpass it and can achieve a top speed of 67 km/h. With this top speed, they can easily outrun the small prey. Their top speed is the main reason why a fox always gets successful in hunting his target. They can also outrun a dog with this speed but can’t outrun big animals like wolves. Because the wolves have a slightly high top speed of 70 km/h.
12 Different Kinds of True Foxes
Generally, there are 23 types of foxes. But out of those 23 only 12 are considered to be true foxes and they all are unique. These 12 types are more or less similar to each other. The other 11 types are called false foxes because they are more relevant to wolves and domestic dogs. Foxes are found everywhere on our planet.
The 12 types of foxes and the location of their habitats:
Red Fox: Northern Hemisphere
Cape Fox: Southern Africa
Pale Fox: Sahel Afrcia
Swift Fox: Western North America
Kit Fox: Mexico and Southwestern U.S
Ruppel’s Fox: Southwest Asia, Northern Africa, and the Middle East
Tibetan Sand Fox: Tibetan and Ladakh Plateau
Corsac Fox: Central Asia
Bengals Fox: Indian Subcontinent
Arctic Fox: Arctic Tundra
Fennec Fox: The Saharan and the Arabian Desert, Sinai Peninsula
Blanford’s Fox: Central Asia and the Middle East
Each species has its unique characteristics and skills for survival.
Do Foxes Prey on Pets?
Foxes do have some of the feline characteristics that no other canine has but foxes are not feline at all, they are canine. Red foxes are more seen nowadays because their population has increased in urban areas. These foxes attack the dogs and cats but not very often. However, the chicken is the favourite of this reddish-brown animal.
Unlike other canines, foxes hunt alone and usually, they hunt mice. Grey foxes used to jump down from the trees to attack dogs and cats whenever they were in their territory.
You have to ensure your pet’s safety if you ever have noticed a fox in your area.
Foxes in the Wild
Foxes hunt alone. They are solitary animals. They are noticed to be active all day in the wild. But they have seen hunting more at dawn and dusk. Foxes usually remain active all year and do not hibernate. The foxes are wild animals but unlike other animals, they are not as aggressive or dangerous. But they should be treated with caution as you can’t trust this animal.
What will it turn out to be? They don’t attack humans, this is not their nature. They only attack humans if they see them as a threat, meaning when anyone tries to capture or handle them, they could turn out to be dangerous.
Most of the foxes live in the forested area but they are also found in the mountains and deserts. They make their home by digging burrows in the ground. The burrows are called dens. It provides them with a cool place to sleep and a perfect place to store food. Also, a safe place to have their pups.
Are Foxes Friendly?
The foxes are waxy and they are unlikely to approach humans. However, they can approach human urban areas. But they aren’t considered human-friendly animals. They may carry a disease that can infect a human and can prove to be a high threat to a human. They prey on poultry and small pets or animals in urban areas when humans are not in sight.
FAQs
How do Foxes Hunt their target?
The foxes hunt their target alone. Mostly they hunt small animals like mice and snakes. They only share their hunted target with their cups.
What is the Color of the Fox?
Usually, foxes are reddish but some are yellow or orange. The color of their underparts is white, silver, or grey.
What Symbol is the Fox?
Foxes are the symbol of intelligence and shrewdness.
What is Special About the Fox?
Foxes are the only animals who navigate the direction of their prey by using the Earth’s Magnetic Field.
What is the Name of the Female Fox?
The female foxes are called vixens.
Is Fox a Smart Animal?
Yes, the foxes are considered to be highly intelligent animals as they are known for their skill to outsmart any prey, animal, or even human.
Can a Fox Bark?
Foxes can bark for self-defense.
Are Foxes Aggressive?
Foxes are not aggressive as they are not dangerous to a human. They don’t attack humans until they feel a threat from us.
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