Fox
City slicker to country dweller
Some months it is easier than others to decide what to write for Species of the Month. I tend to be directed by the seasons and what I have seen, what I want to know more about or my favourite species, or by suggestion. I did have a good recommendation from a colleague at the recent GWCT Staff Conference, but I will keep that one in the locker for another time.
I also like to link my writings to people in my life, my family, friends and the people that I have spent hours/days/weeks/months with in the field, all my life. This one is no exception, but a more of an important one, as this Species of the Month is dedicated to a very dear friend of mine who suddenly passed away last month. He was a true countryman, the best storyteller, family man and tractor driver, a big GWCT supporter and known and loved by many in the rural community, who was absolutely obsessed, and I mean OBSESSED, with foxes day and night!
This one is for you Chris Soper, aka ‘Sniffer’.
The fox (Vulpes vulpes), is a member of the dog family (Canidae), and are the size and build of a medium-sized dog, with an average length of a male ranging from 67-72cm, females 62-67cm; with a tail about 40cm long; and average weight of 6-7kg for males, 5-6kg for females.
What do they look like?
Foxes have red-orange fur with a white muzzle, neck and belly, and dark brown or black colouration on the legs and backs of ears. The fox’s tail is bushy with white tip.
Where do they live?
In short – nearly everywhere!
The fox is indigenous to all of mainland Britain and Ireland but absent from Scottish Islands (except Skye). They are incredibly adaptable, so much so that they inhabit just about every type of habitat, from salt marshes and sand dunes to the tops of mountains, farmland and city centres.
The size of their territories is dependent on where they live. They can be as small as 0.2 square kilometres in urban areas or up to 40 square kilometres in hill country, and each territory is occupied by a fox family group, which often consist of a pair (dog fox and vixen) and their cubs. However, in areas where fox numbers are not managed and where there is a plentiful supply of food, a family group may contain several adults.
Territorial boundaries are constantly ‘marked’ with urine, faeces (scats) and scent glands, which are located on the tail, face, foot pads and bottom, all combining to send messages to other foxes in the area. A range of barks, yaps and shrieks are also used to communicate, especially around the mating and breeding season.
Life cycle
Foxes breed only once a year in winter and give birth to a litter of four or five cubs after a gestation period of 53 days in around March or April. They are born blind, have round faces and short ears, and are covered with dark, chocolate brown fur. The cubs grow quickly, their eyes opening when 10-14 days old, and the vixen stays with her cubs in the earth during this time, relying on the dog fox to bring her food. At around 4-5 weeks they begin to come out of the earth and their dark fur starts to change to the well-known colour of red-brown. The vixen is incredibly vigilant at this time, and if at any point she believes her cubs are at risk, she will carry them by the scruff of the neck to a new, safer hiding place.
Lifespan
Although foxes up to nine years old have been recorded in the wild, most survive only one to three years.
Population
The best estimate of the current British fox population is 357,000 adults in spring. The fox’s fortunes have essentially been determined by man’s activities. Factors resulting in high numbers include:
- Man’s alteration of the habitat and thus of the fox’s prey species
- The elimination of natural predators (e.g. the wolf, lynx and golden eagle)
- The introduction of new prey species, such as the rabbit and pheasant
- The provision of other new food resources, as in suburban areas
Diet
The fox is that it is the top mammalian predator in the country now that wolves and bears are no longer present and has a very wide and varied omnivorous diet. On salt marshes they eat crabs, carrion or nesting seabirds. In the lowland and upland rural areas, they prey on small mammals, especially field voles and rabbits, and ground-nesting birds, along with earthworms, beetles, fruit (particularly blackberries) and chickens if they can get into the run (like they did mine!). Urban foxes glean large amounts of food, much of this deliberately supplied by local householders. This is supplemented by scavenging from dustbins, bird tables and compost heaps. Those living in some urban areas also eat many small birds and feral pigeons if they really need to.
A fox can see quite well and has acute hearing, but its world really revolves around scent. They are superbly skilful and agile predators, which leads to so much of the reputation of being sly, crafty and cunning. That exceptional nose, coupled with its finely tuned hearing powers, means that the tiniest hint of scent given off by a ground-nesting bird, or the faintest squeak from a vole, means that it will not pass unnoticed, with obvious consequences and much detriment to some red-listed species.
Tracks
They make four-toed prints, which can be confused with domestic cats and dogs, but the key difference is that a diagonal cross can be drawn through the fox print and not through the dog and cat prints. Footprint width is 3.5cm and length 5cm.
Folklore
I do like a bit of folklore and the fox doesn’t disappoint. There are so many so here are just a few…
Reynard, the old country nickname for a fox, comes from medieval Middle English, through the French ‘renart’ and the Old German name ‘Reginhart’.
Another old country name for the fox is Tod, which also comes from Middle English and is still widely used in the north of England and Scotland. Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Mr Tod, first published in 1912, is about a fox called Mr. Tod and his arch enemy, a badger also bearing another old country name of Tommy Brock.
There are many old wives’ tales surrounding wily old Reynard. One of the most persistent is that of a fox ridding itself of fleas and other parasites by taking some wool or fur in its mouth and slowly backing into a pond. The idea is that the fleas would migrate up to its nose and eventually onto the piece of wool, which is released when the fox submerges, thus ridding Reynard of the pests. One of the farmers in the Martin Down Farmer Cluster tried to pass this off as a family story – he did have me for a second!
You might not be a fan of the fox, especially if they have taken your chickens or killed your lambs, but you must respect their ability to adapt, hunt skilfully and outwit many a human!
Sniffer, gone, but never forgotten.
Megan Lock
Advisory
Photo credit: Laurie Campbell