Foxes belong to the Canidae family, including wolves, dogs, and coyotes. Foxes are carnivorous mammals and are very much familiar with cats and dogs. Sometimes people mistake them for coyotes or wolves because they all look alike. Can they attack you, being a member of the Canidae family, are foxes dangerous to humans, as other canine animals are?
When are Foxes Most Active?
Before learning that are foxes dangerous, you need to know what are the first instincts of foxes and how often they are around us. Most of the foxes are nocturnal and crepuscular. This suggests that they are more active at night times or dawn time. It does not mean that they don’t hunt during the daylight, some of the foxes do hunt during day hours. But most are inactive at the time. If you ever happen to get a sight of a fox in the daytime, it’s most likely to be a young cub who is just getting started to explore the world.
Fight or Flight?
Fight or flight is a natural reaction that animals do when they feel any type of threat. Fox are initially the flight-responsive creatures. This means that they are more likely to flee away from the threat than stand tall to face it. Foxes are far more scared of us than we are of them. Every time they feel our presence around them, they flee away.
Foxes are opportunist animals and despite being carnivorous they eat dairy products, eggs, and fruits. They also eat a range of small animals like insects, birds, or mice. Foxes have several predators. Depending on the species of the fox their predator can be wolves, leopards, bears, polar bears, and many more.
Their main predator is humans, we have been hunting down foxes for centuries now. Humans use the foxes’ fur to make further products. This gives them a solid reason to be scared of us. Foxes are not aggressive so they tend to just stay out of the way of their predators or run off when they see them.
Are Foxes Dangerous?
Foxes are not considered to be dangerous animals. Foxes don’t pose any threat to humans. The first thing is that foxes tend to be active at night time and even if they see us at night time they just run off.
The second thing is that they hunt only small mammals like snakes, they don’t hunt animals that are above their size. This suggests that they are not interested in us. Also, foxes are one of the least aggressive animals in the wild that humans have ever discovered.
There are some rare cases where foxes have bitten humans. But they do this in self-defence. Foxes only turn out to be aggressive when they are trapped, injured, or sick. These circumstances change their behaviour and they become dangerous to defend themselves.
What to Do If You Encounter a Fox?
If you ever happen to encounter a fox, high chances are that the fox will flee away. However, if it doesn’t flee away, just remain calm and make sure that you aren’t making it feel threatened. Back up slowly and the fox will automatically run off. If you are a safe distance away from the fox the fox will carry its own business and won’t bother you.
Feeding Foxes
There is a large number of foxes growing in the urban areas. Many kind-hearted people put out food for the foxes. This makes the foxes not only friendly with us but also removes their fear of humans. This also makes areas that have a high number of foxes safer than it was. They can become friendly with you, also this makes other people love them. This way the human-populated areas can become safe for other animals as well.
Diseases Foxes Can Carry
Wild animals always carry diseases that are harmful to humans. Talking about foxes, they carry diseases like mange, fleas, and warms. These are not harmful to us unless a human gets bitten by a fox. If that happens to you, consult a doctor as soon as possible. Foxes only bite if they are rabid and that’s quite rare. The studies found that foxes are the primary carriers of rabies (the disease caused by the virus usually passed by the bite of a wild animal). The main signs that indicate this are that foxes sometimes act unnaturally tame and act particularly aggressively.
If you feel that the fox is getting rabid just step off and walk slowly away. If a rabid fox bites your pet, seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Speed of the Fox
Though foxes are small animals they can run fast. Red foxes’ top speed could go up to 50 km/h and the top seed of the gray foxes goes up to 68 km/h. They can catch up with small animals easily and also can outrun some big animals as well. But they can’t outrun all big animals like wolves ‘cause they have a top speed of 75 km/h. The fox just doesn’t need to outrun the big animals because they only feed on small mammals.
Are Foxes Dangerous to the Pets?
The foxes don’t attack the cats or dogs normally. If you are a bird owner then it can be dangerous if you see a fox around your area. Because foxes eat small animals, they won’t attack big animals unless they feel threatened by them. If a fox feels a threat from a cat then it can attack a cat. Although it can rarely happen. If the fox feels a threat from a dog then it will just flee off ‘cause they don’t attack big animals.
Foxes Bite Force
Foxes have really weak bite force, it only goes up to 92 PSI. With this bite force, they can’t hurt a human that much, but the diseases that foxes carry through the bite could be dangerous for the victim. This bite is enough for killing and shredding small mammals. Even if the fox gets rabies and bites a cat or other medium-sized animal or even a human, it won’t hurt that much and won’t be a big wound.
Foxes Fighting Style
Foxes are opportunists and are known for the intelligence that they have. That’s why a fox prefers a stealth attack rather than a direct fighting attack. A fox usually uses stealth, speed, and surprise tricks to catch up with their prey.
Habitat
Foxes can be found all over the world. They are comfortable in almost all habitats like forests, mountains, grasslands, and deserts. They are also seen in human-populated areas. Mostly they are seen around farms and suburbs. They like chickens, so if you have chickens on your farms you need to take care.
What is So Special About Foxes?
Most of the foxes are friendly if humans take good care of them. They can turn on with you. There is a long history of foxes that tells about foxes being friendly and playful with humans. They are human-friendly animals if they are given good care.
FAQS
Do Foxes Attack Humans?
This is rare. The foxes only get aggressive and attack a human if they are trapped or injured by a human otherwise if they feel threatened they just flee away.
Which One Do Foxes Prefer Flight or Fight?
Foxes prefer flight. If they feel any threat from others (humans or any animals) they just flee away rather than standing their ground.
Can a Fox Hurt a Human?
A fox only hurts a human if it’s rabid. Although, their bite can’t damage you that much but it will infect you with serious diseases.
Are Foxes Wary of Humans?
The foxes are wary of humans but they are not wary of human areas. They can be found in human-populated areas. They just run off if they ever encounter a human.
Are Foxes Active at Day Time?
Foxes usually become active at night and dawn times. Some of them might get active during the day times but that’s rare.
What Do Foxes Eat?
Foxes are carnivorous. Foxes hunt and feed only on small mammals like snakes and mice. They do eat fruits, milk, and eggs as well.
Where Are the Foxes Most Founded?
They can be found anywhere on Earth, as they can live in all conditions. They can live in mountains or even deserts. Their population is high in all parts of the Planet.
Can a Human Outrun A Fox?
Red foxes can run up to the speed of 50 km/h. A human can’t gain that much speed as the human can barely cross 15 km/h. So, a human can never outrun a fox. Don’t try it if you ever encounter a rabid fox.
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