Foxes are members of the Canidae family. They are canine and are predatory creatures. Foxes are some of the few animals that can be found all over the Earth. Foxes can be found in grasslands, forests, mountains, wild, and even in deserts. They are found in every continent except Antarctica. They can almost live in all temperatures. In temperate regions, some mammals hibernate in winter, but do foxes hibernate in winter or do they try another way to deal with the temperature?
What is Hibernation?
Hibernation is a state in which the metabolic activities of animals get reduced which allows them to conserve energy. They mostly do this in extremely cold temperatures or when a lack of availability of food occurs. During hibernation, their body temperature goes down, breathing becomes shallow, and their heart rate drops. They become very conscious and just do a little bit of movement. The hibernation can last for several months.
Hibernation is a natural behaviour but still human activities like deforestation can disrupt it. Activities like factory farming require a reasonable amount of deforested land for the growth of feed crops. This process destroys the natural habitats of the foxes and can simply disrupt their hibernation.
Now that we know what a hibernate state is, it’ll help us to understand further. Let’s now answer the question: do foxes hibernate?
Do Foxes Hibernate in Winters?
The answer to do foxes hibernate is no. Foxes have 12 recognized species but none of them hibernates. The arctic foxes are mostly found in the furthest north. In that icy temperature, they don’t hibernate but they do several adaptations to survive in very low temperatures.
So if the foxes don’t hibernate then what do foxes do to survive in the freezing temperatures that drive even larger animals to hibernate?
Foxes Don’t Hibernate, They Adapted Instead!
Foxes do use some combinations of adaptations and their advanced senses to survive the freezing temperature. They use a multilayered coat of fur formed of long hairs to cover the thicker and thinner layers of their body. This coat protects them against the cold temperature and provides ventilation in heat.
Other adaptations include using their long tail to provide them protection. They wrap their tail around themselves like a blanket. They use this adaptation when they are in their underground burrow. Combined with the underground burrow’s protection, this foxes’ number one tool for survival in the icy temperature.
How Do Foxes Find Food in the Winter?
Animals hibernate to protect themselves against the low temperatures, but some animals use this state when there is no food. As an omnivorous animal, foxes use to change their diet during the winter instead of hibernating. In warm temperatures, foxes use to eat more vegetarian food like fruits and nuts. In cold temperatures, foxes tend to change their food and start looking for live prey as they hunt small mammals like rodents and rats.
Foxes Adapted to Hunt For Animals That Hibernate
As we know foxes can live in almost all temperatures. So, they can hunt their prey in the cold temperature as well. They use their keen hearing and eyesight to find their prey. Foxes have a unique hearing feature called sound alone which enables them to find their prey and also helps them to predict where the animal will move. Using this technique they tend to find the small mammals that hibernate beneath the ground and hunt them.
Once foxes have found their required prey they use their claws to dig through and catch them. Foxes can dig up to 3 feet underground and they use their long muzzle to grab their prey. Foxes move on the balls of their feet which allows them to move silently and become unnoticeable to other animals.
The foxes are highly skilled scavengers. All of their species are highly adaptable to almost all environments and temperatures. This allows them to find shelter and food as they are omnivorous. Foxes have multiple burrows inside their territory and they store the small mammals there to preserve them so they can eat them later. Some of these burrows are made by other animals and foxes take them over.
Foxes That Conquer the Cold Weather
The red fox and the arctic fox are the two species out of the twelve species of foxes that can stand out as the champions of cold weather survival. These two species are mostly found in the Northern Hemisphere. Both of them are highly adaptable to low temperatures.
Arctic Foxes are Made for Snow
The Arctic foxes can easily live in the lowest temperature. This species shares the name with its habitat “The Arctic” which itself is a very cold place. This species of fox quickly adapts to the cold temperature environment. They can survive in the icy environment more easily than any other species can.
The arctic fox uses its multilayered coat to survive in the cold temperature. They have a multilayered coat on their tails and paw pads. This fox doesn’t feel any cold until the temperature drops down to -95 degrees F or 70 degrees C.
The colour of the arctic fox’s fur also changes with the change of environment or temperature. Their fur colour changes to pure white in the winter to blend in with ice and snow. This also helps them not to be seen by their predators. In warm environments or temperatures their fur colour changes brown to blend in with rocks and cliffs.
Arctic foxes are a little distinctive in appearance from other foxes. They have thicker ears, compact bodies, and a short muzzle. They are also able to control their paw pad and core body temperature separately. By developing an insular fat fat survive, they conserve their energy. As like with other species this fox also doesn’t hibernate.
They create complex dens inside their territory. These foxes use the same den for generations instead of setting up a new one yearly. Like other foxes, arctic foxes also use their dens to preserve their prey and for shelter.
Almost all the features and characteristics that these foxes have make them perfectly suitable for survival in cold temperatures.
Red Fox is the King of Survivors
Red foxes are considered to be true survivalists, however, they didn’t specifically adapt to cold temperatures. Red foxes can seemingly adapt to any weather. The red foxes don’t have a thick multilayered coat but their fur grows up in the winter to keep their body warm. Their fur shreds in summer to supply ventilation. Red foxes are also skillful scavengers and can find food in almost any condition, including urban areas. The red foxes are the most intelligent of all species. They apply this intelligence to find their food and they can also steal food from other animals as well.
All the species have their skills and techniques to deal with the cold temperatures. But the arctic foxes and the red foxes both have great adaptations and skills to deal with the low temperatures. So, these animals don’t need to hibernate, that’s for sure!
FAQs
Can All Foxes Cope the Challenges of Winter?
All species of foxes have adaptations that can help them cope with the challenges of the winter’s cold and icy temperature.
Can All Foxes Survive the Winter?
Yes, all species have the foxes deal with the winters with their skills and all of them can survive the winter’s icy temperature without hibernation.
Why Do Foxes Eat Hibernated Animals?
The foxes eat the hibernated animals for their survival in the winter. Most of the animals hibernate due to lack of food, to avoid these foxes eat the hibernated animals.
Why do Foxes Preserve the Small Mammals?
Foxes preserve the small mammals in their burrows to eat them later. They eat them when no other food is available. Mostly they preserve them for the winter.
Why Do Animals Hibernate?
Most of the animals hibernate themselves to survive the cold temperature as their body can’t tolerate that much cold. Some animals do this when there is no food available. Mostly this situation happens in winter.
Why don’t Hibernate?
Foxes have the skills to survive the low temperature. They have multilayered coats which helps them to survive in winter. They eat and preserve the hibernated small mammals, so there is no lack of food for them in the winter.
How Foxes Find Their Prey in the Winter?
Foxes have a feature called sound alone which helps them to find their prey in harsh conditions as it enables them to detect the prey underground and with it they can also predict its next move.
Which Preys Do Foxes Hunt the Most?
Foxes mostly hunt small mammals like rodents, rats, mice, snakes, and many more. They preserve most of their targets in their burrows for later meals.
Are Foxes Omnivorous or Carnivorous?
Foxes are omnivorous creatures. They eat meat, eggs, milk, fruit, and nuts and they hunt only small mammals. In summer they tend to be vegetarian and in winter they eat meat mostly.
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