Pontic Steppe
44-491: The red fox ( Vulpes vulpes ) is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora , being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America , Europe and Asia , plus parts of North Africa . It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List . Its range has increased alongside human expansion, having been introduced to Australia , where it
88-487: A matriarchal social organization. This genus is omnivorous and prone to scavenging. The foods of choice for Vulpes consist of invertebrates , a variety of small vertebrates , grasses , and some angiosperms . The typical intake per day is about 1 kg. True foxes exhibit hoarding behavior or caching where they store away food for another day out of sight from other animals. Adult foxes have very few predators except coyotes , bears , and wolves , depending on
132-409: A more progressive form in the direction of carnivory . Apart from its large size, the red fox is distinguished from other fox species by its ability to adapt quickly to new environments. Despite its name, the species often produces individuals with other colourings, including leucistic and melanistic individuals. Forty-five subspecies are currently recognised, which are divided into two categories:
176-447: A pest and furbearer for many centuries, as well as being represented in human folklore and mythology. Because of its widespread distribution and large population, the red fox is one of the most important furbearing animals harvested for the fur trade . Too small to pose a threat to humans, it has extensively benefited from the presence of human habitation, and has successfully colonised many suburban and urban areas . Domestication of
220-533: A purely carnivorous diet as the Tibetan fox . The sister lineage to the red fox is the Rüppell's fox , but the two species are surprisingly closely related through mitochondrial DNA markers, with Rüppell's fox nested inside the lineages of red foxes. Such a nesting of one species within another is called paraphyly . Several hypotheses have been suggested to explain this, including (1) recent divergence of Rüppell's fox from
264-620: A red fox lineage, (2) incomplete lineage sorting , or introgression of mtDNA between the two species. Based on fossil record evidence, the last scenario seems most likely, which is further supported by the clear ecological and morphological differences between the two species. Arctic fox [REDACTED] Kit fox [REDACTED] Corsac fox [REDACTED] Rüppell's fox [REDACTED] Red fox [REDACTED] Cape fox [REDACTED] Blanford's fox [REDACTED] Fennec fox [REDACTED] Raccoon dog [REDACTED] Bat-eared fox [REDACTED] The species
308-625: A wide variety of habitats, from the desert to the Arctic , and from high altitudes in the mountains to open plains. True foxes are opportunistic and thrive anywhere they can find food and shelter. They are also widespread in suburban and urban areas, where they can take advantage of human food supplies; however, they prefer to stay away from large industrial areas. In certain areas, foxes tend to do better where humans are present, including in many agricultural landscapes, forests and patchy woodlands. Most true foxes are nocturnal, but they can be active during
352-1560: A year's time. Red fox subspecies in Eurasia and North Africa are divided into two categories: Red foxes living in Middle Asia show physical traits intermediate to the northern foxes and southern grey desert foxes. [REDACTED] communis (Burnett, 1829) lineatus (Billberg, 1827) nigro-argenteus (Nilsson, 1820) nigrocaudatus (Billberg, 1827) septentrionalis (Brass, 1911) variegates (Billberg, 1827) vulgaris (Oken, 1816) [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] beringensis (Merriam, 1902) kamtschadensis (Brass, 1911) kamtschatica (Dybowski, 1922) schantaricus ( Yudin , 1986) [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] cinera (Bechstein, 1801) diluta ( Ognev , 1924) europaeus ( Kerr , 1792) hellenica (Douma-Petridou and Ondrias, 1980) hypomelas (Wagner, 1841) lutea (Bechstein, 1801) melanogaster ( Bonaparte , 1832) meridionalis ( Fitzinger , 1855) nigra (Borkhausen, 1797) stepensis ( Brauner , 1914) [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] melanotus (Pallas, 1811) pamirensis (Ognev, 1926) tarimensis (Matschie, 1907) True fox Vulpes
396-617: Is Eurasian in origin, and may have evolved from either Vulpes alopecoides or the related Chinese V. chikushanensis , both of which lived during the Middle Villafranchian of the Pleistocene Epoch . The earliest fossil specimens of V. vulpes were uncovered in Baranya County , Hungary , dating from 3.4 to 1.8 million years ago. The ancestral red fox was likely more diminutive compared to today's extant foxes, as
440-567: Is a genus of the sub-family Caninae . The members of this genus are colloquially referred to as true foxes , meaning they form a proper clade . The word " fox " occurs in the common names of all species of the genus, but also appears in the common names of other canid species. True foxes are distinguished from members of the genus Canis , such as domesticated dogs , wolves , jackals and coyotes , by their smaller size (5–11 kg), longer, bushier tail, and flatter skull. They have black, triangular markings between their eyes and nose, and
484-469: Is also an increase in the formation of social groups. These groups consist of one dominant pair and a few other subordinate adults that tend to be related. Dominance is established within the den, and dominant kits have usually more access to food and often hold higher social status. If a dispute occurs, dominance is determined by fighting, and the loser may be rejected from its group. These social groups can consist of up to ten adults. Cape foxes likely have
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#1732852252779528-410: Is also eaten sometimes. Although the red fox tends to kill smaller predators, including other fox species, it is vulnerable to attack from larger predators, such as wolves , coyotes , golden jackals , large predatory birds such as golden eagles and Eurasian eagle owls , and medium- and large-sized felids . The species has a long history of association with humans, having been extensively hunted as
572-462: Is considered harmful to native small and medium-sized rodents and marsupials . Due to its impact on native species, it is included on the list of the " world's 100 worst invasive species ". The red fox originated in Eurasia during the Middle Pleistocene at least 400,000 years ago and later colonised North America sometime prior to 130,000 years ago. Among the true foxes, the red fox represents
616-404: Is known; British red foxes have crossbred extensively with red foxes imported from Germany, France, Belgium, Sardinia and possibly Siberia and Scandinavia. However, genetic studies suggest very little differences between red foxes sampled across Europe. Lack of genetic diversity is consistent with the red fox being a highly agile species, with one red fox covering 320 km (200 mi) in under
660-526: Is of the same color as the rest of the tail (white or blue-gray). Blanford's fox usually possesses a black-tipped tail, but a small number of specimens (2% in Israel, 24% in the United Arab Emirates) possess a light-tipped tail. The other foxes in this group (Bengal, Cape, corsac, fennec, kit, pale, and swift) all possess black-tipped or dark-tipped tails. The range of the genus is very wide, present in
704-545: The Hindi pū̃ch 'tail', Tocharian B päkā 'tail; chowrie', and Lithuanian pūkas 'fur / fluff'. The bushy tail also forms the basis for the fox's Welsh name, llwynog , literally 'bushy', from llwyn 'bush'. Likewise, Portuguese : raposa from rabo 'tail', Lithuanian uodẽgis from uodegà 'tail', and Ojibwe waagosh from waa , which refers to the up and down "bounce" or flickering of an animal or its tail. The scientific term vulpes derives from
748-719: The Sacramento Valley red fox ( V. v. patwin ) only in a narrow hybrid zone. In addition, no evidence is seen of interbreeding of eastern American red foxes in California with the montane Sierra Nevada red fox ( V. v. necator ) or other populations in the Intermountain West (between the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada Mountains to the west). The 3rd edition of Mammal Species of
792-524: The San Joaquin Valley , Monterey and north-coastal San Francisco Bay Area (including urban San Francisco and adjacent cities). In spite of the red fox's adaptability to city life, they are still found in somewhat greater numbers in the northern portions of California (north of the Bay Area) than in the south, as the wilderness is more alpine and isolated. The eastern red foxes appear to have mixed with
836-703: The 16th century that involves tracking, chasing, and killing a fox with the aid of foxhounds and horses. It has since then spread to Europe, the United States, and Australia. Tocharian B Caucasus East Asia Eastern Europe Northern Europe Pontic Steppe Northern/Eastern Steppe Europe South Asia Steppe Europe Caucasus India Indo-Aryans Iranians East Asia Europe East Asia Europe Indo-Aryan Iranian Indo-Aryan Iranian Others European Kuchean (also known as Tocharian B or West Tocharian )
880-503: The Latin word for fox, and gives the adjectives vulpine and vulpecular . The red fox is considered to be a more specialised form of Vulpes than the Afghan , corsac and Bengal fox species, in regards to their overall size and adaptation to carnivory ; the skull displays far fewer neotenous traits than in other foxes, and its facial area is more developed. It is, however, not as adapted for
924-617: The North American continent in two waves: before and during the Illinoian glaciation , and during the Wisconsinan glaciation . Gene mapping demonstrates that red foxes in North America have been isolated from their Old World counterparts for over 400,000 years, thus raising the possibility that speciation has occurred, and that the previous binomial name of Vulpes fulva may be valid. In
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#1732852252779968-681: The Pleistocene, Vulpes had a fairly wide distribution, with eight species found in North America. Of these eight, six are not fossil, and three species still remain in North America ( V. velox , V. macrotis , and V. vulpes ). The remaining three moved on to sections of Africa over time. V. stenognathus is extinct, but has extant sister taxa including V. chama , V. rueppellii , V. velox , and V. vulpes , which fits with these species all evolving together in North America. True foxes are small to medium-sized animals, usually smaller than other canines, such as wolves , dogs , and jackals . For example,
1012-658: The World listed 45 subspecies as valid. In 2010, a distinct 46th subspecies, the Sacramento Valley red fox ( V. v. patwin ), which inhabits the grasslands of the Sacramento Valley, was identified through mitochondrial haplotype studies. Castello (2018) recognized 30 subspecies of the Old World red fox and nine subspecies of the North American red fox as valid. Substantial gene pool mixing between different subspecies
1056-416: The adaptions for leaping, grasping, and climbing include the lengthening of hind limbs in relation to fore limbs, as well as overall slenderizing of both hind and fore limbs. Muscles are also emphasized along the axis of limbs. The length, color and density of the fur of fox species differ. Fennec foxes (and other desert-adapted fox species such as Vulpes macrotis ) have large ears and a short coat to keep
1100-403: The body cool. On the other hand, the Arctic fox has small ears and a thick, insulating coat to keep the body warm. A solid color coat is seen in most animals, but there are occasions where the coat color varies over the year to enhance camouflage against the current seasons landscape. The red fox , Ruppell's fox , and Tibetan sand fox possess white-tipped tails. The Arctic fox 's tail-tip
1144-455: The deposits (Early Pleistocene ) makes it the earliest occurrence of Vulpes in Europe. V. hassani is found in a Miocene-Pliocene deposit in northwestern Africa. This species may have given rise to current Rüppell's fox , which lends support that the close phylogenetic clustering of Rüppels and Red foxes is the result of recent introgressive hybridization rather than recent speciation. In
1188-621: The earliest Canidae in the Old World. They are estimated to have weighed between 1.5 and 3.5 lb. V. skinneri , from the Malapa Fossil Site from South Africa , is younger than V. riffautae by roughly 5 million years, and shows up in the early Pleistocene. Two other extinct, less documented fossils are known: V. praeglacialis and V. hassani . V. praeglacialis was discovered in the Petralona Cave in Chalkidiki , Greece. The age of
1232-473: The earliest red fox fossils have shown a smaller build than living specimens. The earliest fossil remains of the modern species date back to the mid-Pleistocene, found in association with middens and refuse left by early human settlements. This has led to the theory that the red fox was hunted by primitive humans (as both a source of food and pelts); the possibility also exists of red foxes scavenging from middens or butchered animal carcasses. Red foxes colonised
1276-575: The far north, red fox fossils have been found in Sangamonian Stage deposits near the Fairbanks District, Alaska , and Medicine Hat , Alberta . Fossils dating from the Wisconsinan are present in 25 sites across Arkansas , California , Colorado , Idaho , Missouri , New Mexico , Ohio , Tennessee , Texas , Virginia , and Wyoming . Although they ranged far south during the Wisconsinan,
1320-489: The first four to five weeks out of the womb, but begin to be progressively weaned after the first month. Once fully weaned, kits seek out various insects. The parents supplement this diet with a variety of mammals and birds. During early to middle July, the kits are able to hunt on their own and soon move away from their parents. The silver fox is a melanistic form of the wild red fox. Though rare, domestication has been documented in silver foxes. The most notable experiment
1364-644: The ground while tracking down their prey. Some species have a pungent "foxy" odor, arising mainly from a gland located on the dorsal surface of the tail, not far from its base. Not much sexual dimorphism is displayed, although males are slightly larger. In general, Vulpes has a bone structure very close to that of its canid relatives, but there are some variations. For example, although canid limbs are designed specifically for running quickly on land to catch prey, Vulpes species avoid rapid sprints, excluding when being chased, and have become more specialized for leaping and grasping prey. In Vulpes vulpes , for example,
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1408-440: The hind legs have only four. The skull is light and slender, elongated. Sagittal crest not developed at all or weakly defined. Vulpes species have vertically slit pupils, which generally appear elliptical in strong light like those of cats , which provide them with significant advantages. Like most canids, true foxes have a muscular body, powerful jaws, and teeth for grasping prey. Blunt claws are especially useful for gripping
1452-547: The large northern foxes and the small, basal southern grey desert foxes of Asia and North Africa. Red foxes are usually found in pairs or small groups consisting of families, such as a mated pair and their young, or a male with several females having kinship ties. The young of the mated pair remain with their parents to assist in caring for new kits. The species primarily feeds on small rodents, though it may also target rabbits , squirrels , game birds , reptiles , invertebrates and young ungulates . Fruit and vegetable matter
1496-664: The larger subspecies V. v. alascensis , V. v. abietorum , V. v. regalis , and V. v. rubricosa . The southern (or montane) refugium occurs in the subalpine parklands and alpine meadows of the west, from the Rocky Mountains to the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada ranges, consisting of the smaller subspecies V. v. cascadensis , V. v. macroura , V. v. necator , and V. v. patwin . The latter clade has been separated from all other red fox populations since at least
1540-401: The largest species, the red fox , weighs on average 4.1–8.7 kg and the smallest species, the fennec fox , weighs only 0.7–1.6 kg. They have long, dense fur, and a bushy, rounded tail that is at least half as long, or fully as long as, the head and body. They have a rather long body with shorter limbs, a long, narrow muzzle, and large, pointed ears. The forelimbs have five toes, while
1584-459: The last glacial maximum, and may possess unique ecological or physiological adaptations. Although European foxes ( V. v. crucigera ) were introduced to portions of the United States in the 1900s, recent genetic investigation indicates an absence of European fox mitochondrial haplotypes in any North American populations. Additionally, introduced eastern North American red foxes have colonised most of inland California, from Southern California to
1628-516: The location. Juvenile foxes face a wider range of threats from small carnivores and large birds of prey, such as eagles . Most true foxes are monogamous . However, they can form polyandrous and polygynous pairs. Breeding season varies between species and habitat, but they generally breed between late December and late March. Most foxes dig out dens to provide a safe underground space for raising their young. Born deaf and blind, kits or cubs require their mother's milk and complete supervision for
1672-516: The morning and dusk and occasionally hunt and scavenge in daylight during winter. Many fox species are solitary or nomadic, living most of their lives on their own, except for the mating season, when they have a monogamous relationship with a partner. Some live in small family groups, others are more gregarious . Vulpes have a high variation in social organization between species and populations. Their hierarchical society usually depends on population densities. As population density increases, there
1716-459: The onset of warm conditions shrank their range toward the north, and they have only recently reclaimed their former North American ranges because of human-induced environmental changes. Genetic testing indicates that two distinct red fox refugia exist in North America, which have been separated since the Wisconsinan. The northern (or boreal) refugium occurs in Alaska and western Canada, and consists of
1760-766: The red fox is also underway in Russia , and has resulted in the domesticated silver fox . Males are called tods or dogs, females are called vixens, and young are known as cubs or kits. Although the Arctic fox has a small native population in northern Scandinavia, and while the corsac fox 's range extends into European Russia , the red fox is the only fox native to Western Europe, and so is simply called "the fox" in colloquial British English. The word "fox" comes from Old English , which derived from Proto-Germanic * fuhsaz . Compare with West Frisian foks , Dutch vos , and German Fuchs . This, in turn, derives from Proto-Indo-European * puḱ- 'thick-haired; tail'. Compare to
1804-534: The self-designation for the language was kuśi 'Kuča'. In scholarly works, it is known as Tocharian B, sometimes referred to as West Tocharian or Kuchean . According to scholar Michael Peyrot, Tocharian B is dated between the 5th and 10th centuries AD, and was spread from Kuča to Yānqi and Turfan . Paul Widmer, following Tamai's and Adams's studies, situates Tocharian B roughly between 400 and 1200, its oldest layer dating from ca. 400 to 600, around "Kucha and environs". According to J. H. W. Penney, Tocharian B
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1848-603: The tip of their tail is often a different color from the rest of their pelt. The typical lifespan for this genus is between two and four years, but can reach up to a decade. Within Vulpes , 12 separate extant species and four fossil species are described: The oldest known fossil species within Vulpes is V. riffautae , dating back to the late Miocene of Chad , which is within the Neogene . The deposits where these fossils are found are about 7 million years old, which might make them
1892-623: Was a Western member of the Tocharian branch of Indo-European languages, extinct from the ninth century. Once spoken in the Tarim Basin in Central Asia , Tocharian B shows an internal chronological development; three linguistic stages have been detected. The oldest stage is attested only in Kucha. There is also the middle ('classicalʼ), and the late stage. According to Peyrot,
1936-587: Was conducted in Novosibirsk , Russia , at the Siberian Institute of Cytology and Genetics. In this study, generations of silver foxes were divided into those with friendly traits and those with unfriendly traits. After 50 years, the friendly foxes developed “dog-like” domesticated traits such as spots, tail wagging, enjoyment of human touch, and barking. Fox hunting was started in the United Kingdom in
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