Foxes are omnivorous, dog-like mammals in the Canidae family. These animals have small to medium-sized furry bodies and can be identified by their flattened skull, narrow snouts, upright triangular ears, and bushy tail. They have black markings between their eyes and noses, and their tail tip is a different color than the rest of their body. Here is a list of the ten different types of foxes,
Types of foxes
1. Arctic Fox (Vulpes lagopus)
The subdued Arctic fox is tougher than it appears. It resides in the Arctic region of the northern hemisphere where it can tolerate temperatures as low as -50°C (-58°F). It is also known as the arctic fox. It can survive in frigid climates with ease. To reduce heat loss, its body is compact with correspondingly short legs, a neck, and small ears. Its opulently thick fur and thick layer of fat, which act as insulation and food stores throughout the long, starvation-inducing winters, are both present. Snow is kept off its food by the thick fur covering them, and when the fox rolls up to sleep, its bushy tail adds an additional layer of warmth. The fox creates a tunnel through the snow to bury itself from the wind during blizzards.
2. Swift Fox (Vulpes velox)
One of the tiniest types of foxes in the world, the Swift fox is smaller than a house cat. It can be found in the western grasslands of North America, specifically in the states of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, and Colorado. In Canada, where it was eradicated before being reintroduced in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, it also exists. Swift foxes are quick small foxes that may run at speeds of up to 60 kph when pursuing prey or evading predators. The majority of its hunting occurs at night, and it consumes small mammals, reptiles, insects, carrion, fruits, and grasses. Furthermore adaptable, it can choose to dig its own dens or use already dug tunnels that other animals, like badgers, have dug and left unattended.
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3. Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
The Red fox is the largest true fox species and the one that people are most familiar with in the northern hemisphere. Its geographic spread currently includes Australia, where humans have consciously introduced it, in addition to North America, Europe, Asia, and other continents. Red foxes are exceptionally adaptable creatures that can live in a wide range of habitats, including woods, grasslands, tundra, deserts, and areas where humans have taken over. Red foxes are highly diverse, with up to 46 recognized subspecies, as a result of their flexibility. Red foxes are typically lone hunters, but they do establish mating pairs that remain together for a season to raise their young.
Image Source: Wikimedia
4. Kit Fox (Vulpes macrotis)
The Kitfox is a species that has adapted to the desert and lives in dry areas of the southwest United States as well as northern and central Mexico. It is North America’s smallest true fox species. It is a robust animal capable of withstanding intense heat and a scarcity of water despite its modest size and subdued appearance. The kit fox can expel extra body heat thanks to its enormous ears, and because it can obtain water from the prey it eats, it can go for long periods of time without drinking. Kit foxes spend their days in the comfort of their burrows and are mostly active at night. Within its home territory, each fox has a few dens, some of which it dug alone and others which it took over from budges.
5. Cape Fox (Vulpes chama)
The Cape fox is the Sahara’s counterpart to the Fennec fox. The Cape fox is a little species with large ears, just like its cousin that lives in the desert. South of the equator, it is the only real fox in Africa. This species favors open habitats in arid and semi-arid regions where it may effectively use its huge years for rodent hunting. The fox can hear its prey underground thanks to these remarkable prey. And as soon as it hears the sound, it digs it out right away. The Cape fox, like the majority of foxes, includes a variety of plant items, such as fruits and vegetables, in its diet. On rare occasions, it may also consume carrion.
Also read: 15 Interesting Facts About Canadian Marble Fox
Image Source: Wikimedia
6. Bengal Fox (Vulpes bengalensis)
Bengal foxes are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent and are often referred to as Indian foxes. Its wide geographic range extends from the Terai region of Nepal and the foothills of the Himalayas to southern India, as well as from eastern and southern Pakistan to the east of India and southeastern Bangladesh. The Bengal fox’s long, bushy tail, which is typically more than half of its body length, is its most distinguishing characteristic. The fox holds its long tail parallel to the ground when it runs and lifts it vertically when making a rapid turn, which helps it steer while it is on the move.
7. Pale Fox (Vulpes pallida)
The Pale fox is the least studied of all types of foxes, and little is known about its life in the wild. The fact that this fox prefers to live in remote areas contributes to the scarcity of information about it. The Pale fox is found in a narrow band of the African continent’s semi-arid Sahel region – the transition zone between the dunes of the Sahara desert and the sub-Saharan savannas. It resembles the Rüppell’s fox but differs in appearance due to the black tip on its tail. While the Pale fox’s population status has not been determined, it is considered a widespread species within its range.
Image Source: Wikimedia
8. Tibetan Fox (Vulpes ferrilata)
The unusual-looking Tibetan fox is a high-altitude dweller, found at altitudes of up to 5,300 meters in the Tibetan Plateau, Nepal, Ladakh, China, Sikkim, and Bhutan (17,400 ft). They are well adapted to cold, windswept, rocky habitats. Their thick coat keeps them warm in the winter, and their heavily muscled feet are ideal for running in rocky terrain. Tibetan foxes, unlike most foxes, are active during the day. They form monogamous pairs and frequently hunt together. Pikas are their primary prey, but they also consume other rodents, rabbits, hares, ground-dwelling birds, and insects. They may occasionally consume carrion or supplement their diet with fruit.
Image source: Dash houng
9. Ruuppell’s Fox (Vulpes rueppelli)
The Rüppell’s fox is a little-studied fox that lives in North Africa, the Middle East, and South Western Asia, preferring desert and semi-desert environments. Like all desert foxes, it has enormous ears that aid in the dissipation of body heat while also increasing the fox’s ability to locate prey through sound. Depending on what is available in the area, the Rüppell’s Fox diet consists of small birds and mammals, lizards, beetles, succulents, and grasses. It forages primarily at night, as well as at dawn and dusk. It retreats to its underground resting den during the day.
Image Source: Wikimedia
10. Crab-eating Fox (Cerdocyon thous)
Crab-eating The fox is a medium-sized canid that is endemic to South America’s central region, from Colombia and Venezuela to Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern Argentina. It can be found in a variety of habitats, including savannas, forests, woodlands, and shrubs. It gets its name from its fondness for crabs found on the muddy flood plains after the rainy season when the floodwaters recede. Crab-eating foxes eat small rodents and birds, lizards, insects, turtle eggs, fruit, and carrion in addition to crabs. Crab-eating foxes breed twice a year and form monogamous pairs. They raise their young in breeding dens dug by themselves or in abandoned burrows of other species.
Image Source: Wikimedia
These are the different types of foxes in the world. kindly share and do post your comments.
