Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
until it's actually running in the crouched position, then pounces at its intended victim and attempts to
seize it in its mouth. More often than not, of course, the bird takes wing or the squirrel darts up a tree
before the fox can capture it.
Yet another strategy comes into play when the fox hunts rabbits and hares. First it crouches down to
stalk as close as possible, and then, when the prey sights the fox and flees, the fox attempts to run it
down. The rabbit or hare takes evasive action, and the high-speed chase continues until the fox either
gives up the pursuit or succeeds in bringing down its quarry.
One stratagem purportedly used by foxes is called “charming.” According to oft-repeated accounts
of this behavior, a fox sights potential prey—a rabbit or duck, for example—and proceeds to perform
a series of antics to entice the curious prey close enough that the fox can pounce on it. These antics
include rolling, tumbling, leaping, and chasing the tail, and reputedly mesmerize or “charm” the
prey—hence the term.
This seems a dubious proposition at best. The red fox responds to prey instinctively, using one of
the techniques already discussed—not by performing a series of antics. Further, prey such as rabbits
normally shy away from movement and from the unknown, rather than being hypnotized by it. It's also
interesting that Henry, who has observed and analyzed the hunting behavior of large numbers of red
foxes over the years, makes no mention of this behavior.
That isn't to say this type of incident has never occurred, however. As with many other mammals,
foxes can indulge in what appears to be playlike behavior, running about, leaping, rolling, and tumbling.
It's possible that under such circumstances a particularly curious and unwary individual of a prey spe-
cies might draw closer and closer to see what was going on. If a hungry fox spotted the prey at that
point, it would likely pounce on it. Whether such reported incidents are authentic is debatable, but fox
behavior under such circumstances is almost certainly not a planned artifice for capturing a meal.
For a long time there was a debate over the origin of the red fox in North America, and many be-
lieved that the red fox was not native here. It was known that English settlers, anxious to continue their
pastime of hunting foxes on horseback, had imported red foxes from England during the early period of
European colonization. According to this theory, those imported red foxes multiplied and spread, as the
continent continued to be colonized by Europeans. Red fox fossils have, however, been found in North
America that date to well before the arrival of Columbus, thereby firmly establishing this creature as
native.
Ask a number of people how much they think an adult red fox weighs, and most will give answers in
the range of thirty pounds or more. This is a gross overestimation (a common phenomenon in assessing
wildlife size). A really big fox will weigh only about fifteen pounds, and ten to twelve pounds is more
usual. The fox's beautiful coat, relatively long legs, and magnificent brush combine to give an impres-
sion of much greater size, but a very small body resides within that handsome package.
Foxes can sometimes exhibit a playful nature. Golfers at one of our local courses still remember the
pair of foxes that raised its litter in a den near a fairway. Whenever a golfer's drive landed in the ap-
propriate area, a fox would trot out of the brush, pick up the ball, and retire to its den. There doesn't
