Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Red fox
The fox's tail evidently has considerable value to its owner. In extremely cold weather, foxes often
curl up tightly and cover nose, paws, and legs with that thick, luxurious brush; no doubt this helps to
reduce heat loss substantially. Further, the tail is useful in fox body language to convey such messages
as dominance, submissiveness, aggression, or playfulness.
The red fox is unquestionably a member of the dog family. Even a cursory glance reveals that it
looks very much like a small, slender dog that bears little resemblance to the cat family. Yet biologist J.
David Henry, author of a number of articles and topics on the red fox, has demonstrated after years of
research that red foxes have a number of very catlike—and hence quite undog like—traits.
Henry, whose lengthy scientific inquiries have done for foxes what Maurice Hornocker has done for
cougars and L. David Mech for wolves, has compiled impressive findings that document both catlike
habits and catlike adaptations in the red fox. Consider hunting behavior, for example.
Red foxes hunt in much the same manner as small cats, and feed on the same prey. Whereas other
members of the dog family tend to be endurance hunters that will often chase prey for long distances
before exhausting it and finally killing it, red foxes are stealth hunters. Whenever possible, they stalk
their prey and either pounce on it in very feline fashion, or try to run it down in a quick burst of speed.
Further, just like a cat, they'll sometimes toy with small prey before finally dispatching it.
Where other members of the dog family hunt in groups, at least part of the time, red foxes, like cats,
are solitary hunters. Even a mated pair of foxes usually splits up in order to hunt in lone fashion. This
solitary behavior is perfectly suited to the red fox's stalk-and-pounce mode of hunting.
The fox has a number of physical adaptations that make it much more catlike than other canids
(members of the dog family). One of the most striking is its eye structure, which is far more catlike
than doglike. The red fox has two important optical characteristics in common with cats: vertical pupils
that can narrow to a slit, thus dramatically reducing the light reaching the eye in bright sunlight; and a
reflective membrane at the back of the eye, which causes light to pass over the retina twice, thus greatly
