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DIET OF THE FOX
Foxes hunt almost exactly like cats by stalking and pouncing. To hunt, a fox will usually go to a large meadow or grassland
to find small creatures such as mice and voles. Then, a fox will
use it's keen sense of smell and hearing to find the "meal" in
its burrows. Patiently and silently, the fox will wait for the
creature to pop above ground and then, catlike, it will very quickly pounce on the victim.
Foxes can live on small berries and fruits, especially in
winter when most of the birds have flown away and the creatures
are hibernating underground. A small portion of a fox's diet
is human food. Very often, people will leave food out for dogs
and cats, or other animals, especially in the city. Sometimes, people will even leave food out for a fox they know lives nearby. The fox will eat this food and,while he has a reputation
of being somewhat of a scavenger, racoons are more likely to topple the trashcan. Foxes usually do this only when there is nothing else to eat.
THE ENEMIES OF THE FOX
As with most wildlife, the foxes most vicious predator is man.
Humans have has treated foxes like vermin,such as rats and rabid
dogs,and killed them leasurely. Many sports, and fur trapping
have taken their toll on the fox species. In the present, a fox's main worry isn't man's deliberate attempt to destroy them,
but of side effects of human population, such as highways.
Fortunately, foxes have learned to thrive, even with their persecution, and hopefully, humans will learn through education
not to destroy these wonderful creatures.
THE SOCIAL FOX
The social structure of the Fox is very complex and not very
well understood by man. Often, people look at foxes and think
that they are solitary creatures, living alone and away from the
other foxes. This observation may be true for hunting, but when
it comes to daily living activities, foxes are highly social and
very interesting.
The fox society is very hierarchical, meaning that there are "alpha" and "omega" foxes. Unlike the Wolf society, only
the vixens take part in the vicious fight for dominance. The males usually leave searching for a new territory on their own.
When a fox is born, for the first few days, they are completely helpless. After the first week or so, they begin the struggle
for dominance. They will fight each other, especially for food,
until one is at the top, and one is at the bottom. Then, when a weaker vixen tries to get food from her mother or father, she
will have to run away and protect it, lest other stronger vixens
take the morsel away from her. This is a vicious beginning for
these young foxes and the submissive vixens usually do not survive this, which is most saddening but strengthens the family
and the fox species in that area.
THE FOX AS A PET????
This is widely debated. Many people say that owning a fox
is fine if you get it from birth and have a lot of outdoor space. Others feel that having a fox as a pet is out of the question. The fox would probably do much better if left alone
in the wild, with the freedom to live the way nature intended.
A Fox, kept as a pet, would require a large (very large) are in
which to run and play and will make noise throughout the night, sharpen its claws and will hoard food.
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