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{{Short description|Genera of mammal}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{pp-move-indef}}
{{For-text|the American television network|[[Fox Broadcasting Company]]|other uses|[[Fox (disambiguation)]]}}
{{redirect-multi|3|Foxes|Vixen|Skulk}}
{{Paraphyletic group
| auto = yes
| name = Foxes
| image = Vulpes_vulpes_ssp_fulvus.jpg
| image_alt = 
| image_caption = A [[red fox]] in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario
| parent = Caninae
| includes = *Some [[Canini (tribe)|Canini]] species:
**{{extinct}}''[[Dusicyon cultridens]]''
**''[[Cerdocyon]]''
*** ''[[Cerdocyon thous]]''
**''[[Lycalopex]]''
***''[[Lycalopex culpaeus]]''
***''[[Lycalopex fulvipes]]''
***''[[Lycalopex griseus]]''
***''[[Lycalopex gymnocercus]]''
***''[[Lycalopex sechurae]]''
***''[[Lycalopex vetulus]]''
*All [[Vulpini]] species
**''[[Vulpes]]''
***''[[Vulpes lagopus]]''
***''[[Vulpes vulpes]]''
***''[[Vulpes velox]]''
***''[[Vulpes macrotis]]''
***''[[Vulpes corsac]]''
***''[[Vulpes chama]]''
***''[[Vulpes pallida]]''
***''[[Vulpes bengalensis]]''
***''[[Vulpes ferrilata]]''
***''[[Vulpes cana]]''
***''[[Vulpes rueppelli]]''
***''[[Vulpes zerda]]''
*Some primitive [[Canidae]] species
**''[[Urocyon]]''
***''[[Urocyon cinereoargenteus]]''
***''[[Urocyon littoralis]]''
***''[[Cozumel fox|Urocyon sp.]]''
**''[[Otocyon]]''
***''[[Otocyon megalotis]]''
| excludes = All other species in [[Canini (tribe)|Canini]]
}}

'''Foxes''' are small-to-medium-sized [[omnivorous]] [[mammal]]s belonging to several [[genera]] of the family [[Canidae]]. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned [[snout]]; and a long, bushy [[tail]] ("brush").

Twelve [[species]] belong to the [[monophyly|monophyletic]] "true fox" group of genus ''[[Vulpes]]''. Another 25 current or [[extinction|extinct]] species are sometimes called foxes – they are part of the [[paraphyly|paraphyletic]] group of the [[South American foxes]] or an outlying group, which consists of the [[bat-eared fox]], [[gray fox]], and [[island fox]].<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Macdonald|editor1-first=David W.|editor2-last=Sillero-Zubiri|editor2-first=Claudio|title=The biology and conservation of wild canids|date=2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|isbn=978-0198515562|page=49|edition=Nachdr. d. Ausg. 2004.}}</ref>

Foxes live on every continent except Antarctica. The most common and widespread species of fox is the [[red fox]] (''Vulpes vulpes'') with about 47 recognized [[subspecies]].<ref name=Lloyd1980>{{cite book|last1=Lloyd|first1=H.G.|title=The red fox|date=1981|publisher=Batsford|location=London|isbn=978-0-7134-11904|page=21|edition=2. impr.}}</ref> The global distribution of foxes, together with their widespread reputation for cunning, has contributed to their prominence in popular culture and folklore in many societies around the world. The [[Fox hunting|hunting of foxes]] with packs of hounds, long an established pursuit in Europe, especially in the [[British Isles]], was exported by European settlers to various parts of the [[New World]].

==Etymology==
The word ''fox'' comes from [[Old English language|Old English]] and derives from [[Proto-Germanic]] *''fuhsaz''.{{refn|group=nb|Cf. [[West Frisian language|West Frisian]] ''foks'', [[Dutch language|Dutch]] ''vos'', and [[German language|German]] ''Fuchs''.}} This in turn derives from [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] *''puḱ-'' "thick-haired, tail."{{refn|group=nb|Cf. [[Hindi]] ''pū̃ch'' 'tail', [[Tocharian B]] ''päkā'' 'tail; chowrie', and [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]] ''paustìs'' 'fur'. The bushy tail forms the basis for the fox's [[Welsh language|Welsh]] name, ''llwynog'' 'bushy', from ''llwyn'' 'bush'. Likewise, {{langx|pt|raposa}} from ''rabo'' 'tail', Lithuanian ''uodẽgis'' from ''uodegà'' 'tail', and [[Ojibwe language|Ojibwa]] ''waagosh'' from ''waa'', which refers to the up-and-down "bounce" or flickering of an animal or its tail.}} Male foxes are [[List of animal names|known as]] ''dogs'', ''tods'', or ''[[reynard]]s''; females as ''vixens''; and young as ''cubs'', ''pups'', or ''kits'', though the last term is not to be confused with the [[kit fox]], a distinct species. "Vixen" is one of very few [[modern English]] words that retain the [[Middle English]] southern dialectal "v" pronunciation instead of "f"; i.e., northern English "fox" versus southern English "vox".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://historyofenglishpodcast.com/2018/06/27/episode-113-a-zouthern-accent/|title=Episode 113: A Zouthern Accent - The History of English Podcast|website=historyofenglishpodcast.com|date=28 June 2018|access-date=20 July 2018|archive-date=20 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720233350/http://historyofenglishpodcast.com/2018/06/27/episode-113-a-zouthern-accent/|url-status=live}}</ref> A group of foxes is referred to as a ''skulk'', ''leash'', or ''earth''.<ref name="US Department of the Interior">{{cite web|last1=Fellows|first1=Dave|title=Animal Congregations, or What Do You Call a Group of.....?|url=http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/about/faqs/animals/names.htm|website=Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center|publisher=USGS|access-date=9 October 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320071411/http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/about/faqs/animals/names.htm|archive-date=20 March 2015}}</ref><ref name="new forest cub">{{cite web|url=http://www.newforestexplorersguide.co.uk/wildlife/mammals/foxes/family-life.html|website=New Forest Explorers Guide|title=Fox Cubs and the breeding cycle|access-date=29 July 2016|archive-date=13 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813095415/http://www.newforestexplorersguide.co.uk/wildlife/mammals/foxes/family-life.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Phylogenetic relationships==
[[File:Vulpes vulpes & Urocyon cinereoargenteus skulls & mandibles.jpg|thumb|Comparative illustration of skulls of a true fox (left) and gray fox (right), with differing temporal ridges and subangular lobes indicated]]
Within the Canidae, the results of [[DNA]] analysis shows several [[Phylogenetics|phylogenetic]] divisions:
* The fox-like canids, which include the [[kit fox]] (''Vulpes velox''), [[red fox]] (''Vulpes vulpes''), [[Cape fox]] (''Vulpes chama''), [[Arctic fox]] (''Vulpes lagopus''), and [[fennec fox]] (''Vulpes zerda'').<ref name=wayne1993>{{cite journal | last=Wayne | first=Robert K. | date=June 1993 | title=Molecular evolution of the dog family | journal=Trends in Genetics | volume=9 | issue=6 | pages=218–224 | pmid=8337763 | url=http://wooferhouse.net/Links/MolecularEvolutionOfTheDogFamily/MolecularEvolutionOfTheDogFamily.htm | doi=10.1016/0168-9525(93)90122-x | access-date=2017-11-25 | archive-date=2021-02-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224183706/http://wooferhouse.net/Links/MolecularEvolutionOfTheDogFamily/MolecularEvolutionOfTheDogFamily.htm | url-status=live }}</ref>
* The wolf-like canids, (genus ''Canis'', ''Cuon'' and ''Lycaon'') including the [[dog]] ''(Canis lupus familiaris)'', [[gray wolf]] (''Canis lupus''), [[red wolf]] (''Canis rufus''), [[eastern wolf]] (''Canis lycaon''), [[coyote]] (''Canis latrans''), [[golden jackal]] (''Canis aureus''), [[Ethiopian wolf]] (''Canis simensis''), [[black-backed jackal]] (''Canis mesomelas''), [[side-striped jackal]] (''Canis adustus''), [[dhole]] (''Cuon alpinus''), and [[African wild dog]] (''Lycaon pictus'').<ref name=wayne1993 />
* The South American canids, including the [[bush dog]] (''Speothos venaticus''), [[hoary fox]] (''Lycalopex uetulus''), [[crab-eating fox]] (''Cerdocyon thous'') and [[maned wolf]] (''Chrysocyon brachyurus'').<ref name=wayne1993 />
* Various [[monotypic taxon|monotypic taxa]], including the [[bat-eared fox]] (''Otocyon megalotis''), [[gray fox]] (''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''), and [[raccoon dog]] (''Nyctereutes procyonoides'').<ref name=wayne1993 />

==Biology==
[[File:FoxSkelLyd1.png|thumb|Fox skeleton]]

===General morphology===
Foxes are generally smaller than some other members of the family [[Canidae]] such as [[Gray wolf|wolves]] and [[jackal]]s, while they may be larger than some within the family, such as [[raccoon dog]]s. In the largest species, the [[red fox]], males weigh between {{cvt|4.1|and|8.7|kg}},<ref name=Lariviere1996>{{cite journal |author1=Larivière, S.  |author2=Pasitschniak-Arts, M. | year = 1996 | title = ''Vulpes vulpes'' | journal = Mammalian Species |issue=537 | pages = 1–11 | doi = 10.2307/3504236|jstor=3504236 | doi-access = free }}</ref> while the smallest species, the [[fennec fox]], weighs just {{convert|0.7|to|1.6|kg|lb|frac=4|abbr=on}}.<ref name=nobleman>{{cite book |title=Foxes |last=Nobleman |first=Marc Tyler |year=2007 |publisher=Benchmark Books (NY) |isbn=978-0-7614-2237-2 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/foxes0000nobl/page/35 35–36] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/foxes0000nobl/page/35 }}</ref>

Fox features typically include a triangular face, pointed ears, an elongated [[rostrum (anatomy)|rostrum]], and a bushy tail. They are [[digitigrade]] (meaning they walk on their toes). Unlike most members of the family Canidae, foxes have partially retractable [[claw]]s.<ref name=Burrows>{{cite book|last1=Burrows|first1=Roger|title=Wild fox.|date=1968|publisher=David & Charles|location=Newton Abbot|isbn=9780715342176}}</ref> Fox vibrissae, or [[whiskers]], are black. The whiskers on the muzzle, known as mystacial vibrissae, average {{convert|100|-|110|mm|in|frac=8|abbr=off}} long, while the whiskers everywhere else on the head average to be shorter in length. Whiskers (carpal vibrissae) are also on the forelimbs and average {{convert|40|mm|in|frac=8|abbr=on}} long, pointing downward and backward.<ref name=Lloyd1980 /> Other physical characteristics vary according to habitat and adaptive significance.

===Pelage===
Fox species differ in fur color, length, and density. Coat colors range from pearly white to black-and-white to black flecked with white or grey on the underside. [[Fennec fox]]es (and other species of fox adapted to life in the desert, such as [[kit fox]]es), for example, have large ears and short fur to aid in keeping the body cool.<ref name=Lloyd1980 /><ref name=Burrows /> [[Arctic fox]]es, on the other hand, have tiny ears and short limbs as well as thick, insulating fur, which aid in keeping the body warm.<ref>{{cite web|title=Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus)|url=http://www.arkive.org/arctic-fox/vulpes-lagopus/|website=ARKive|access-date=2 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006125952/http://www.arkive.org/arctic-fox/vulpes-lagopus/|archive-date=2014-10-06|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Red fox]]es, by contrast, have a typical [[auburn hair|auburn]] [[fur|pelt]], the tail normally ending with a white [[animal coloration|marking]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Fox|first1=David|title=Vulpes vulpes, red fox|url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Vulpes_vulpes/|website=Animal Diversity Web|access-date=2 October 2014|archive-date=6 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006082642/http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Vulpes_vulpes/|url-status=live}}</ref>

A fox's coat color and texture may vary due to the change in seasons; fox pelts are richer and denser in the colder months and lighter in the warmer months. To get rid of the dense winter coat, foxes [[moult]] once a year around April; the process begins from the feet, up the legs, and then along the back.<ref name=Burrows /> Coat color may also change as the individual ages.<ref name=Lloyd1980 />

===Dentition===
A fox's [[dentition]], like all other canids, is I 3/3, C 1/1, PM 4/4, M 3/2 = 42. (Bat-eared foxes have six extra molars, totalling in 48 teeth.) Foxes have pronounced [[carnassial]] pairs, which is characteristic of a [[carnivore]]. These pairs consist of the upper premolar and the lower first molar, and work together to shear tough material like flesh. Foxes' canines are pronounced, also characteristic of a carnivore, and are excellent in gripping prey.<ref name=Teeth>{{cite web|title=Canidae|url=http://www.nhc.ed.ac.uk/index.php?page=493.172.288|website=The University of Edinburgh|access-date=23 September 2014|archive-date=21 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621092257/http://www.nhc.ed.ac.uk/index.php?page=493.172.288|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Behaviour===
[[File:Alopex lagopus coiled up in snow.jpg|right|thumb|[[Arctic fox]] curled up in snow]]
In the wild, the typical lifespan of a fox is one to three years, although individuals may live up to ten years. Unlike many canids, foxes are not always pack animals. Typically, they live in small family groups, but some (such as [[Arctic fox]]es) are known to be solitary.<ref name=Lloyd1980 /><ref name=Burrows />

Foxes are [[omnivore]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Fedriani |first=J.M. |author2=T. K. Fuller |author3=R. M. Sauvajot |author4=E. C. York |date=2000-07-05 |title=Competition and intraguild predation among three sympatric carnivores |journal=Oecologia |volume=125 |pages=258–270 |url=http://www.ebd.csic.es/cani/public_html/Oecologia_00.pdf |doi=10.1007/s004420000448 |issue=2 |pmid=24595837 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006040228/http://www.ebd.csic.es/cani/public_html/Oecologia_00.pdf |archive-date=2011-10-06 |hdl=10261/54628 |bibcode=2000Oecol.125..258F |s2cid=24289407 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Vulpes_vulpes.html | last=Fox | first=David L. | title=Vulpes vulpes (red fox) | work=Animal Diversity Web | publisher=University of Michigan Museum of Zoology | year=2007 | access-date=2009-08-30 | archive-date=2019-01-06 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106113334/https://animaldiversity.org/site/accounts/information/Vulpes_vulpes.html%20 | url-status=live }}</ref> Their diet is made up primarily of [[invertebrate]]s such as insects and small [[vertebrate]]s such as reptiles and birds. They may also eat eggs and vegetation. Many species are generalist predators, but some (such as the [[crab-eating fox]]) have more specialized diets. Most species of fox consume around {{convert|1|kg|lb|abbr=on}} of food every day. Foxes [[Hoarding (animal behavior)|cache]] excess food, burying it for later consumption, usually under leaves, snow, or soil.<ref name=Burrows /><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Macdonald|first1=David W.|title=Food Caching by Red Foxes and Some Other Carnivores|journal=Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie|date=26 April 2010|volume=42|issue=2|pages=170–185|doi=10.1111/j.1439-0310.1976.tb00963.x|pmid=1007654}}<!--|access-date=2 October 2014--></ref> While hunting, foxes tend to use a particular pouncing technique, such that they crouch down to [[camouflage]] themselves in the terrain and then use their hind legs to leap up with great force and land on top of their chosen prey.<ref name=Lloyd1980 /> Using their pronounced canine teeth, they can then grip the prey's neck and shake it until it is dead or can be readily disemboweled.<ref name=Lloyd1980 />

The [[gray fox]] is one of only two canine species known to regularly climb trees; the other is the [[raccoon dog]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P85eCAAAQBAJ&pg=PT258|title=Free Ranging Dogs – Stray, Feral or Wild?|last=Lavigne|first=Guillaume de|date=2015-03-19|publisher=Lulu Press, Inc|isbn=9781326219529|language=en}}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===Sexual characteristics===
[[File:Desert foxes in the throes of passion (50638266987).jpg|thumb|left|Mating [[white-footed fox]]es]]
The male fox's [[scrotum]] is held up close to the body with the [[testes]] inside even after they descend. Like other canines, the male fox has a [[baculum]], or penile bone.<ref name=Lloyd1980 /><ref>Čanády, Alexander. "Variability of the baculum in the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) from Slovakia." Zoology and Ecology 23.3 (2013): 165–170.</ref><ref>Bijlsma, Rob G. "[http://zoogdierwinkel.nl/sites/default/files/imce/nieuwesite/Winkel/pdf%20download/Lutra%2057(1)_Bijlsma_2014.pdf Copulatory lock of wild red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in broad daylight.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829171201/http://www.zoogdierwinkel.nl/sites/default/files/imce/nieuwesite/Winkel/pdf%20download/Lutra%2057(1)_Bijlsma_2014.pdf |date=2017-08-29 }}" Naturalist 80: 45–67.</ref> The testes of [[red fox]]es are smaller than those of Arctic foxes.<ref name="s341">{{cite book |last1=Heptner |first1=V. G. |last2=Naumov |first2=N. P. |title=Mammals of the Soviet Union |date=1998 |url=https://archive.org/details/mammalsofsov211998gept |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden u.a. |isbn=978-1886106819 |page=341}}</ref> [[Spermatogenesis|Sperm formation]] in red foxes begins in August–September, with the testicles attaining their greatest weight in December–February.<ref name="s537">{{Harvnb|Heptner|Naumov|1998|p=537}}</ref>

Vixens are in heat for one to six days, making their reproductive cycle twelve months long. As with other canines, the [[Egg cell|ova]] are shed during [[estrus]] without the need for the stimulation of copulating. Once the egg is fertilized, the vixen enters a period of [[gestation]] that can last from 52 to 53 days. Foxes tend to have an average litter size of four to five with an 80 percent success rate in becoming pregnant.<ref name=Lloyd1980 /><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Parkes|first1=I. W. Rowlands and A. S.|title=The Reproductive Processes of certain Mammals.-VIII. Reproduction in Foxes (Vulpes spp.).|journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London|date=21 August 2009|volume=105|issue=4|pages=823–841|doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1935.tb06267.x}}<!--|access-date=2 October 2014--></ref> Litter sizes can vary greatly according to species and environment{{spaced ndash}}the [[Arctic fox]], for example, can have up to eleven kits.<ref>{{Cite journal | jstor=1376014 | first=Milton | last=Hildebrand | title=The Integument in Canidae | journal=Journal of Mammalogy | volume=33 | issue=4 | year=1952 | pages=419–428 | doi=10.2307/1376014}}</ref>

The vixen usually has six or eight [[mammae]].<ref name="Nowak2005">{{cite book|author=Ronald M. Nowak|title=Walker's Carnivores of the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0q5aHw2mFi8C&q=foxes+%22mammae%22|year=2005|publisher=JHU Press|isbn=978-0-8018-8032-2|access-date=2020-10-17|archive-date=2023-11-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129230118/https://books.google.com/books?id=0q5aHw2mFi8C&q=foxes+%22mammae%22#v=snippet&q=foxes%20%22mammae%22&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> Each teat has 8 to 20 [[lactiferous duct]]s, which connect the mammary gland to the nipple, allowing for milk to be carried to the nipple.{{Citation needed|date=June 2017}}

===Vocalization===
The fox's vocal repertoire is vast, and includes:
;Whine: Made shortly after birth. Occurs at a high rate when kits are hungry and when their body temperatures are low. Whining stimulates the mother to care for her young; it also has been known to stimulate the male fox into caring for his mate and kits.
;Yelp: Made about 19 days later. The kits' whining turns into infantile barks, yelps, which occur heavily during play.
;Explosive call: At the age of about one month, the kits can emit an explosive call which is intended to be threatening to intruders or other cubs; a high-pitched howl.
;Combative call: In adults, the explosive call becomes an open-mouthed combative call during any conflict; a sharper bark.
;Growl: An adult fox's indication to their kits to feed or head to the adult's location.
;Bark: Adult foxes warn against intruders and in defense by barking.<ref name=Lloyd1980 /><ref name=Tembrock>{{cite journal|last1=Tembrock|first1=Günter|title=Canid vocalizations|journal=Behavioural Processes|volume=1|issue=1|pages=57–75|doi=10.1016/0376-6357(76)90007-3|pmid=24923545|year=1976|s2cid=205107627}}<!--|access-date=2 October 2014--></ref>

In the case of domesticated foxes, the whining seems to remain in adult individuals as a sign of excitement and submission in the presence of their owners.<ref name=Lloyd1980 />

==Classification==
Canids commonly known as foxes include the following genera and species:<ref name=Lloyd1980 />

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Genus !! Species !! Picture
|-
| ''[[Canis]]'' || [[Ethiopian wolf]], sometimes called the Simien fox or Simien jackal || [[File:Canis simensis .jpg|thumb|[[Ethiopian wolf]], native to the Ethiopian highlands]]
|-
| ''[[Cerdocyon]]'' || [[Crab-eating fox]]|| [[File:Maikong in Villamaría, Caldas, Colombia 3.jpg|thumb|[[Crab-eating fox]], a South American species]]
|-
| † ''[[Dusicyon]]'' || [[extinction|Extinct]] [[genus]], including the [[Falkland Islands wolf]], sometimes known as the Falklands Islands fox || [[File:FalklandIslandFox2.jpg|thumb| [[Falkland Islands wolf]] Illustration by [[John Gerrard Keulemans]] (1842–1912)]]
|-
| ''[[Lycalopex]]'' ||
*[[Culpeo]] or Andean fox
*[[Darwin's fox]]
*[[South American gray fox]]
*[[Pampas fox]]
*[[Sechuran fox]]
*[[Hoary fox]]
|| [[File:Aguarachay, Departamento de Flores, Uruguay 5.jpg|thumb|A [[pampas fox]] in Departamento de Flores, Uruguay]]
|-
| ''[[Otocyon]]'' || [[Bat-eared fox]]|| [[File:Bat eared fox Kenya crop.jpg|thumb|[[Bat-eared fox]] in [[Kenya]]]]
|-
| ''[[Urocyon]]'' ||
* [[Gray fox]]
* [[Island fox]]
* [[Cozumel fox]] (undescribed)
|| [[File:Gray fox (22893897420).jpg|thumb|[[Gray fox]] (''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''), in Midtown, Palo Alto, California]]
|-
| ''[[Vulpes]]'' ||
*[[Arctic fox]]
*[[Bengal fox]]
*[[Blanford's fox]]
*[[Cape fox]]
*[[Corsac fox]]
*[[Fennec fox]]
*[[Kit fox]]
*[[Pale fox]]
*[[Rüppell's fox]]
*[[Red fox]]
*[[Swift fox]]
*[[Tibetan sand fox]]
 || [[File:Fennec Fox.jpg|thumb|The [[fennec fox]] is the smallest species of fox]]
|}
[[File:Räv vid Revhusen i Ystad - Juli 2012..jpg|thumb|Red fox]]

==Conservation==

[[File:Urocyon littoralis pair.jpg|right|thumb|The [[island fox]] is a [[near-threatened species]].]]
Several fox species are [[endangered species|endangered]] in their native environments. Pressures placed on foxes include [[habitat loss]] and being hunted for pelts, other trade, or control.<ref>Ginsburg, Joshua Ross and David Whyte MacDonald. [https://books.google.com/books?id=QvUfIvp4muEC&pg=PA2 Foxes, Wolves, Jackals, and Dogs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231130000126/https://books.google.com/books?id=QvUfIvp4muEC&pg=PA2#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=2023-11-30 }}. p.58.</ref> Due in part to their opportunistic hunting style and industriousness, foxes are commonly resented as nuisance animals.<ref>Bathgate, Michael. [https://books.google.com/books?id=sD6TAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA18 The Fox's Craft in Japanese Religion and Culture] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129230220/https://books.google.com/books?id=sD6TAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA18#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=2023-11-29 }}. 2004. p.18.</ref> Contrastingly, foxes, while often considered pests themselves, have been successfully employed to control pests on fruit farms while leaving the fruit intact.<ref>McCandless, Linda  [https://web.archive.org/web/20100730043903/http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/pubs/press/foxes.html Foxes are Beneficial on Fruit Farms]. nysaes.cornell.edu (1997-04-24)</ref>

===''Urocyon littoralis''===
The [[island fox]], though considered a [[near-threatened species]] throughout the world, is becoming increasingly endangered in its [[endemic]] environment of the [[California Channel Islands]].<ref name="GARY W 1739">{{cite journal|last1=ANGULO|first1=ELENA|last2=ROEMER|first2=GARY W.|last3=BEREC|first3=LUDĚK|last4=GASCOIGNE|first4=JOANNA|last5=COURCHAMP|first5=FRANCK|title=Double Allee Effects and Extinction in the Island Fox|journal=Conservation Biology|date=29 May 2007|volume=21|issue=4|pages=1082–1091|doi=10.1111/j.1523-1739.2007.00721.x|pmid=17650257|bibcode=2007ConBi..21.1082A |url=https://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/57044/1/conBiol.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020110218/http://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/57044/1/conBiol.pdf |archive-date=2016-10-20 |url-status=live|hdl=10261/57044|s2cid=16545913 |hdl-access=free}}<!--|access-date=17 September 2014--></ref> A population on an island is smaller than those on the mainland because of limited resources like space, food and shelter.<ref name="Essentials of conservation biology">{{cite book|last1=Primack|first1=Richard B.|title=Essentials of conservation biology|date=2014|publisher=Sinauer Associates|isbn=9781605352893|pages=143–146|edition=Sixth}}</ref> Island populations are therefore highly susceptible to external threats ranging from introduced predatory species and humans to [[extreme weather]].<ref name="Essentials of conservation biology"/>

On the California Channel Islands, it was found that the population of the island fox was so low due to an outbreak of [[canine distemper virus]] from 1999 to 2000<ref name="Stephan G 2004">{{cite journal|last1=Kohlmann|first1=Stephan G.|last2=Schmidt|first2=Gregory A.|last3=Garcelon|first3=David K.|title=A population viability analysis for the Island Fox on Santa Catalina Island, California|journal=Ecological Modelling|date=10 April 2005|volume=183|issue=1|pages=77–94|doi=10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2004.07.022|bibcode=2005EcMod.183...77K }}<!--|access-date=25 September 2014--></ref> as well as predation by non-native [[golden eagle]]s.<ref name="nps.gov">{{cite web|title=Channel Islands: The Restoration of the Island Fox|url=http://www.nps.gov/chis/naturescience/fox-saving.htm|website=National Park Service|access-date=25 September 2014|archive-date=6 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006151057/http://www.nps.gov/chis/naturescience/fox-saving.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Since 1993, the eagles have caused the population to decline by as much as 95%.<ref name="Stephan G 2004"/> Because of the low number of foxes, the population went through an [[Allee effect]] (an effect in which, at low enough densities, an individual's [[Fitness (biology)|fitness]] decreases).<ref name="GARY W 1739"/> Conservationists had to take healthy breeding pairs out of the wild population to breed them in captivity until they had enough foxes to release back into the wild.<ref name="Stephan G 2004"/> Nonnative grazers were also removed so that native plants would be able to grow back to their natural height, thereby providing adequate cover and protection for the foxes against golden eagles.<ref name="nps.gov"/>

===''Pseudalopex fulvipes''===
[[Darwin's fox]] was considered [[critically endangered]] because of their small known population of 250 mature individuals as well as their restricted distribution.<ref name=Jimenez2006>{{cite journal|last1=Jiménez|first1=J. E.|title=Ecology of a coastal population of the critically endangered Darwin's fox (Pseudalopex fulvipes) on Chiloé Island, southern Chile|year=2006|journal=Journal of Zoology|volume=271|issue=1|pages=63–77|doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00218.x}}</ref> However, the [[IUCN]] have since downgraded the conservation status from crictically endangered in their 2004 and 2008 assessments to [[endangered]] in the 2016 assessment, following findings of a wider distribution than previously reported.<ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn | author =Silva-Rodríguez, E. | author2 =Farias, A. | author3 =Moreira-Arce, D. | author4 =Cabello, J. | author5 =Hidalgo-Hermoso, E. | author6 =Lucherini, M. | author7 =Jiménez, J. | name-list-style =amp | title =''Lycalopex fulvipes'' | volume =2016 | page =e.T41586A85370871 | year =2016 }}</ref> On the [[Chile]]an mainland, the population is limited to [[Nahuelbuta National Park]] and the surrounding [[Valdivian temperate rain forest|Valdivian rainforest]].<ref name=Jimenez2006/> Similarly on [[Chiloé Island]], their population is limited to the forests that extend from the southernmost to the northwesternmost part of the island.<ref name=Jimenez2006/> Though the Nahuelbuta National Park is protected, 90% of the species live on Chiloé Island.<ref name=iucn41586>{{cite iucn|author= Jiménez, J.E.|author2= Lucherini, M.|author3= Novaro, A.J.|name-list-style= amp |year= 2008|url= https://www.iucnredlist.org/details/41586/0|title= ''Pseudalopex fulvipes''|access-date= 30 September 2014}}</ref>

A major issue the species faces is their dwindling, limited habitat due to the cutting and burning of the unprotected forests.<ref name=Jimenez2006/> Because of deforestation, the Darwin's fox habitat is shrinking, allowing for their competitor's ([[South American gray fox|chilla fox]]) preferred habitat of open space, to increase; the Darwin's fox, subsequently, is being outcompeted.<ref name=Yahnke1996>{{cite journal|last1=Yahnke|first1=Christopher J.|last2=Johnson|first2=Warren E.|last3=Geffen|first3=Eli|last4=Smith|first4=Deborah|last5=Hertel|first5=Fritz|last6=Roy|first6=Michael S.|last7=Bonacic|first7=Cristian F.|last8=Fuller|first8=Todd K.|last9=Van Valkenburgh|first9=Blaire|last10=Wayne|first10=Robert K.|year=1996|title=Darwin's Fox: A Distinct Endangered Species in a Vanishing Habitat|journal=Conservation Biology|volume=10|issue=2|pages=366–375|doi=10.1046/j.1523-1739.1996.10020366.x|bibcode=1996ConBi..10..366Y }}<!--|access-date=30 September 2014--></ref> Another problem they face is their inability to fight off diseases transmitted by the increasing number of pet dogs.<ref name=Jimenez2006/> To conserve these animals, researchers suggest the need for the forests that link the Nahuelbuta National Park to the coast of Chile and in turn Chiloé Island and its forests, to be protected.<ref name=Yahnke1996/> They also suggest that other forests around Chile be examined to determine whether Darwin's foxes have previously existed there or can live there in the future, should the need to reintroduce the species to those areas arise.<ref name=Yahnke1996/> And finally, the researchers advise for the creation of a captive breeding program, in Chile, because of the limited number of mature individuals in the wild.<ref name=Yahnke1996/>

==Relationships with humans==
[[File:Sunny Fox.jpg|thumb|A [[red fox]] on the porch of a house]]
[[File:Foxes are not welcome in Carbunup.jpg|thumb|Dead foxes in [[Carbunup]]]]
Foxes are often considered pests or nuisance creatures for their opportunistic attacks on poultry and other small livestock. Fox attacks on humans are not common.<ref>Barratt, Sarah and Martin Barratt. [https://books.google.com/books?id=gJl8AwAAQBAJ&pg=PT28 Practical Quail-keeping] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129230119/https://books.google.com/books?id=gJl8AwAAQBAJ&pg=PT28#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=2023-11-29 }}. 2013.</ref>
Many foxes adapt well to human environments, with several species classified as "resident urban carnivores" for their ability to sustain populations entirely within urban boundaries.<ref name = "Iossa">Iossa, G. et al. [https://books.google.com/books?id=xYKqluO6c8UC&pg=PA283 A Taxonomic Analysis of Urban Carnivore Ecology] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231130000156/https://books.google.com/books?id=xYKqluO6c8UC&pg=PA283#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=2023-11-30 }}, from ''Urban Carnivores''. Stanley Gehrt et al. eds. 2010. p.174.</ref> Foxes in urban areas can live longer and can have smaller litter sizes than foxes in non-urban areas.<ref name = "Iossa" /> Urban foxes are ubiquitous in Europe, where they show altered behaviors compared to non-urban foxes, including increased population density, smaller territory, and pack foraging.<ref>Francis, Robert and Michael Chadwick. [https://books.google.com/books?id=JVWJWKzTrJkC&pg=PA126 Urban Ecosystems] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129230223/https://books.google.com/books?id=JVWJWKzTrJkC&pg=PA126#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=2023-11-29 }} 2013. p.126.</ref> Foxes have been introduced in numerous locations, with varying effects on indigenous flora and fauna.<ref name = "Long">See generally Long, John. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7YC3cYhGMOcC&pg=PT551 Introduced Mammals of the World] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129230724/https://books.google.com/books?id=7YC3cYhGMOcC&pg=PT551#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=2023-11-29 }}. 2013.</ref>

In some countries, foxes are major predators of rabbits and hens. Population oscillations of these two species were the first nonlinear oscillation studied and led to the derivation of the [[Lotka–Volterra equation]].<ref>Sprott, Julien. [https://books.google.com/books?id=buILBDre9S4C&pg=PA89 Elegant Chaos] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129230714/https://books.google.com/books?id=buILBDre9S4C&pg=PA89#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=2023-11-29 }} 2010. p.89.</ref><ref>[[Natalia Komarova|Komarova, Natalia]]. [https://books.google.com/books?id=_PWsM_hzQjgC&pg=PA113 Axiomatic Modeling in Life Sciences] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129230729/https://books.google.com/books?id=_PWsM_hzQjgC&pg=PA113#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=2023-11-29 }}, from Mathematics and Life Sciences. Alexandra Antoniouk and Roderick Melnik, eds. pp.113–114.</ref>

===As food===
Fox meat is edible, though it is not considered a common cuisine in any country.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Roland |first1=Denise |title=Donkey snack contaminated by fox meat, fears Walmart |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/china-business/10546792/Donkey-snack-contaminated-by-fox-meat-fears-Walmart.html |access-date=17 June 2024 |work=The Telegraph |date=2 January 2014 |language=en}}</ref>

===Hunting===
{{Main|Fox hunting}}
Fox hunting originated in the United Kingdom in the 16th century. Hunting with dogs is now banned in the United Kingdom,<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5109184.stm | title=Hunt campaigners lose legal bid | work=BBC News Online | date=2006-06-23 | access-date=2008-11-04 | archive-date=2008-12-11 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211191748/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5109184.stm | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/epic/htg/6203266/David-Cameron-to-vote-against-fox-hunting-ban.html |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |title=David Cameron 'to vote against fox hunting ban' |first=Anita |last=Singh |date=2009-09-18 |access-date=2010-05-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090930013856/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/epic/htg/6203266/David-Cameron-to-vote-against-fox-hunting-ban.html |archive-date=30 September 2009 }}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20050307100822/http://www.nwlacs.co.uk/foxhunting.htm Fox Hunting]. North West League Against Cruel Sports Support Group. nwlacs.co.uk</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.emteconline.co.uk/rliteracy/rpersuade/foxhunt.pdf | title=Fox Hunting: For and Against | access-date=2009-12-12 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100331221254/http://www.emteconline.co.uk/rliteracy/rpersuade/foxhunt.pdf | archive-date=2010-03-31 | url-status=dead }}</ref> though hunting without dogs is still permitted. Red foxes were [[Red foxes in Australia|introduced into Australia]] in the early 19th century for sport, and have since become widespread through much of the country. They have caused population decline among many native species and prey on livestock, especially new lambs.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive-species/publications/factsheet-european-red-fox-vulpes-vulpes |title=Fact Sheet: European Red Fox, Department of the Environment, Australian Government |access-date=2015-12-23 |archive-date=2015-12-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223141118/http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive-species/publications/factsheet-european-red-fox-vulpes-vulpes |url-status=live }}</ref> Fox hunting is practiced as recreation in several other countries including Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Russia, United States and Australia.

===Domestication===
[[File:A tame fox cub at home with Mr and Mrs Gordon Jones, Talysarn (4478261667).jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|A tame fox in [[Talysarn]], Wales]]
{{see also|Domesticated silver fox|Red fox#Taming and domestication}}
There are many records of [[Red fox#Taming and domestication|domesticated red foxes]] and others, but rarely of sustained domestication. A recent and notable exception is the [[Domesticated red fox|Russian silver fox]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://redhotrussia.com/domestic-foxes-novosibirsk/|title=The most affectionate foxes are bred in Novosibirsk|publisher=Redhotrussia|access-date=2014-04-08|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118001034/http://redhotrussia.com/domestic-foxes-novosibirsk/|archive-date=January 18, 2013}}</ref> which resulted in visible and behavioral changes, and is a case study of an animal population modeling according to human domestication needs. The current group of domesticated silver foxes are the result of nearly fifty years of experiments in the Soviet Union and Russia to [[de novo domestication|''de novo'' domesticate]] the silver morph of the red fox. This selective breeding resulted in physical and behavioral traits appearing that are frequently seen in domestic cats, dogs, and other animals, such as pigmentation changes, floppy ears, and curly tails.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.floridalupine.org/publications/PDF/trut-fox-study.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030313011550/http://floridalupine.org/publications/PDF/trut-fox-study.pdf |archive-date=2003-03-13 |url-status=live|first=Lyudmila N.|last=Trut|title=Early Canid Domestication: The Fox Farm Experiment|journal=American Scientist|volume=87|issue=2|pages=160|year=1999|doi=10.1511/1999.2.160|bibcode=1999AmSci..87.....T}}</ref> Notably, the new foxes became more tame, allowing themselves to be petted, whimpering to get attention and sniffing and licking their caretakers.<ref name=mason>Kenneth Mason, Jonathan Losos, Susan Singer, Peter Raven, George Johnson(2011)''Biology Ninth Edition'', p. 423. McGraw-Hill, New York.{{ISBN|978-0-07-353222-6}}.</ref>

===Urban settings===
{{see also|Red fox#Urban red foxes}}
Foxes are among the comparatively few mammals which have been able to adapt themselves to a certain degree to living in urban (mostly suburban) human environments. Their omnivorous diet allows them to survive on discarded [[food waste]], and their skittish and often nocturnal nature means that they are often able to avoid detection, despite their larger size.

Urban foxes have been identified as threats to cats and small dogs, and for this reason there is often pressure to exclude them from these environments.<ref name="Adams2012">{{cite book|author=Clark E. Adams|title=Urban Wildlife Management, Second Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D0X7CAAAQBAJ|date=15 June 2012|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-4665-2127-8|page=168|access-date=24 September 2018|archive-date=29 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129230635/https://books.google.com/books?id=D0X7CAAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[San Joaquin kit fox]] is a highly endangered species that has, ironically, become adapted to urban living in the [[San Joaquin Valley]] and [[Salinas Valley]] of southern California. Its diet includes mice, ground squirrels, rabbits, hares, bird eggs, and insects, and it has claimed habitats in open areas, golf courses, drainage basins, and school grounds.<ref name="Adams2012"/>

Though rare, bites by foxes have been reported; in 2018, a woman in [[Clapham|Clapham, London]] was bitten on the arm by a fox after she had left the door to her flat open.<ref name="EveningStandard2018">{{cite news |last1=Dunne |first1=John |last2=Moore-Bridger |first2=Benedict |last3=Powell |first3=Tom |title=Woman mauled in bed by fox in Clapham flat: I'm traumatised and feared I would contract rabies |newspaper=[[Evening Standard]] |location=London |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/woman-mauled-in-bed-by-fox-im-traumatised-and-fear-i-would-contract-rabies-a3868586.html |date=2018-06-21 |access-date=2018-06-22 |archive-date=2018-06-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622171852/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/woman-mauled-in-bed-by-fox-im-traumatised-and-fear-i-would-contract-rabies-a3868586.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===In popular culture===
[[File:Gilt silver plate in shape of two peaches.jpg|thumb|Plate in the shape of two peaches depicting two foxes, [[Tang dynasty]]]]
{{Main|Foxes in popular culture, films and literature}}

The fox appears in many cultures, usually in [[folklore]]. There are slight variations in their depictions. In European, Persian, East Asian, and Native American folklore, foxes are symbols of cunning and [[trickery]]—a reputation derived especially from their reputed ability to evade hunters. This is usually represented as a character possessing these traits. These traits are used on a wide variety of characters, either making them a nuisance to the story, a misunderstood hero, or a devious villain.

In East Asian folklore, foxes are depicted as [[familiar spirit]]s possessing magic powers. Similar to in the folklore of other regions, foxes are portrayed as mischievous, usually tricking other people, with the ability to [[Human guise|disguise as an attractive female human]]. Others depict them as mystical, sacred creatures who can bring wonder or ruin.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Uther|first1=Hans-Jörg|title=The Fox in World Literature: Reflections on a "Fictional Animal"|journal=Asian Folklore Studies|date=2006|volume=65|issue=2|pages=133–160|jstor=30030396}}</ref> [[fox spirit|Nine-tailed fox]]es appear in Chinese folklore, literature, and mythology, in which, depending on the tale, they can be a good or a bad omen.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kang|first=Xiaofei|title=The cult of the fox: Power, gender, and popular religion in late imperial and modern China|date=2006|publisher=Columbia University Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-231-13338-8|pages=15–21}}</ref> The motif was eventually introduced from Chinese to Japanese and Korean cultures.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wallen|first=Martin|title=Fox|date=2006|publisher=[[Reaktion Books]]|location=London|isbn=9781861892973|pages=69–70}}</ref>

The constellation [[Vulpecula]] represents a fox.

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=nb}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{Wiktionary|fox}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/nature/mediaexplorer/?theme_group=species&theme=mammals&set=fox BBC Wales Nature: Fox videos]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131203021238/http://www.thefoxwebsite.org/ The fox website]
* {{Wikisource-inline|list=
** {{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Fox |short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite EB9|wstitle=Fox|volume=9 |short=x |noicon=x}}
**{{Cite PSM|wstitle=The Badger and the Fox|volume=38|month-and-year=April 1891 |noicon=x}} Reprinted from ''[[Cornhill Magazine]]''.
** {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Fox|year=1905 |short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Fox |short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite NSRW|wstitle=Fox |short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite Americana|wstitle=Fox|year=1920 |short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Fox|year=1921 |short=x |noicon=x}}
}}

{{Carnivora|Ca.}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Foxes| ]]
[[Category:Mammal common names]]
[[Category:Paraphyletic groups]]