She is the smallest member of the popular canine (or canine).It is spread almost all over the world.She and her cousins - coyotes and jackals - was able to survive despite the harsh onslaught of man.The people called her a sly cheat.Who is she?Of course, the fox!
Who is she?
red foxes (or red) - is a carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Canidae.It is the most abundant and the largest species of the genus foxes.The size of these animals do not inspire much fear, because the size of a fox is usually a small dog.The length of their body ranges from 60 to 90 cm, and the length of the legendary tail does not exceed 60 cm. Weighs red cheat from 6 to 9 kg.
Where is it spread?
Currently, the habitat of the red predator extensive.Red foxes spread across Europe and Asia, up to southern China, southern Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Egypt) and in North America, up to the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico.Moreover, the red-haired beast was artificially acclimatized person in Australia!Since these animals have spread almost all over the smallest continent.More about foxes settlement of certain areas we tell when we talk about their ecology.
does she look like?
red foxes, the disclosure of which we now present - it's pretty neat thing.Fox fur has always been famous for its beauty, silky and reddish-orange tint, playing in the sun.Breast fox white, and at the ends of the paws are clearly visible black "boots".Muzzle, like all dogs stretched.The special charm of this creation give clever eyes, like a cat.Her legendary tail - fluffy and long.It visually increases the fox in size.
general coloration and size of these predators are quite different, much depends on the habitat of the animal.For example, living in the northern territories ordinary fox (photo given in the article) larger than their counterparts, and its fur - lighter.In turn, the further south you can find a small fox fur faded.However, the most popular of its color is bright red, it is no wonder it is called the red cheat!
What it eats?
mainly red foxes prefer open grassland areas, where you can catch mice, voles, rabbits, and even grasshoppers.Their main "menu" - a family of small rodents Polevkovyh.It is believed that the population of red foxes to a large extent depends on their number in a given locality.This is especially important in the winter: In the cold season, these animals foraged exclusively on hunting voles.Red Fox controls the number of rodents.
Hares are of secondary importance in the food chain foxes, but in some cases deliberately cheat engaged in catching rabbits and leverets.During the so-called fox hare plague can become scavengers and eat their flesh.Birds play a lesser role in the diet of a red beast, but on occasion she would not miss your chance!Love fox laying devastate birds' eggs, steal chickens, geese, and so on. D.
way, these animals, though belong to the order of prey, but not disdain, and vegetable foods.Red foxes happy to eat a variety of berries (strawberries, blueberries, cherries), apples and grapes.In times of famine, these animals eat oats, causing considerable damage to crops.
As she hunts?
main hunting Red Fox - trapping voles.This process has even got its name - myshkovanie.Here she voles and mice: sensing a dense snow rodent, animal first begins to listen carefully to his squeaking noises and jumping, and after - dives under the snow!Sometimes a fox can quickly and deftly throw the snow in different directions, trying to catch a vole.And she did it.
Lifestyle
usually red foxes live in pairs, in rare cases - families.Their home - is not nothing but a common hole.They can dig their own burrows own or borrow someone else's available (for example, holes foxes, badgers, marmots).Fox homes can not be found anywhere: the individual site should not only provide its inhabitants a normal amount of food, but also be placed in a suitable location.These places are most often the various hillsides and gullies.
foxholes usually have several entrances leading through a long tunnel into the main chamber - nesting.Often these animals oblyubovyvayut and accordingly equip natural cover - clefts, hollows, caves.Typically, permanent homes for these animals there.They use only a temporary shelter during the upbringing of their offspring, and the rest of the time live in open areas where a lot of mice.In the wild, these animals live only up to 7 years, but increasingly their life expectancy does not exceed 3 years.I noticed that in captivity they can easily live a quarter of a century.
Ecology fox ordinary
As mentioned above, the ecology of this red beast is very extensive.Coloring Fox and its size is directly related to the habitat of the animal, and these or other factors contributing to the existence of a fox in certain areas.Redhead cheat with different densities inhabits all the world's landscape-geographical zones: it tundra and subarctic forests and grasslands, and deserts, mountains and even in all climatic zones.
Whatever the area of the settlement of a fox ordinary, preference, it still gives it an open terrain and areas with gullies, trees, hills and woods.This is due to the fact that in winter snow cover in places not too deep, but loose.This allows Foxes easily do their routine - myshkovaniem.You already know what it is.
red foxes tend to lead a sedentary life.In most regions of the world these animals are not peculiar to any migration.They migrate mainly inhabitants of the mountains, tundra and deserts.Young animals in this case, leaves the "parent's house", moving at distances up to 30 km away.
red foxes.Description subspecies
This type of fox is rich with a variety of subspecies.A total of more than 40. Scientists estimate that its manifold subspecies of these cheats are second only progenitor of domestic dogs - wolf.For centuries, the fox showed an amazing ability to survive.Perhaps it is for this reason that the classification of a fox ordinary so rich.Thus, the most popular of its subspecies are recognized:
- European Forestry;
- Tobolsk;
- Anadyr;
- Yakut;
- Kamchatka;
- Sakhalin;
- Ussuri;
- Shantar;
- European steppe;
- Azerbaijan;
- Daurian;
- Turkmen;
- Crimea;
- Caucasian;
- Turkestan;
- Armenian.
Reproduction
Like their relatives the wolves, red foxes are monogamous animals.They breed only once a year.The period of reproduction and its effectiveness is directly dependent on nutritional status of the beast and from external factors such as weather conditions.Often it happens is that over 50% of female fox ordinary years, can not bring a new offspring.
Zoologists note that the red fox copes with their parental responsibilities.For example, males are not only actively bring up their offspring, but also take care of a female.Fox-parents carefully landscaped their burrows and, like primates, catch each other fleas.If one parent dies, his place is taken by another individual of the appropriate sex.
