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Foxes live on every continent except Antarctica and thrive in cities, towns, and rural settings. Despite being all around us, they're a bit of a mystery. Here's more about this elusive animal.

Foxes are members of the Canidae family, which means they're related to wolves, jackals, and dogs. They're medium-sized, weighing anywhere between 2 and 24 pounds, with pointy faces, lithe frames, and bushy tails.

Unlike their relatives, foxes are not pack animals. When raising their young, they live in small families-called a "leash of foxes" or a " skulk of foxes "-in underground burrows. Otherwise, they hunt and sleep alone.

Like a cat, the fox is most active after the sun goes down. It has vertically oriented pupils so it can see in dim light, and it hunts by stalking and pouncing on its prey. The fox also has sensitive cat-like whiskers and spines on its tongue. It walks on its toes, which accounts for its elegant, feline-like tread. The gray fox even has semi-retractable claws, making it the only member of the dog family that climbs trees. It has been known to sleep in the branches-just like a cat.

Although there are 37 animals called foxes, only 12 are considered " true foxes," meaning they're from the genus Vulpes. Some of these include the red, Arctic, fennec, and kit foxes. True foxes have flattened skulls, triangular snouts, and fluffy tails, but it's common to be confused when seeing one in real life. Research found that while nature lovers can identify most North American mammals, they frequently mix foxes up with other canids, like coyotes.

Geographically, the red fox has the widest range of any of the 280 animals in the order Carnivora. While its natural habitat is a mixed landscape of scrub and woodland, its flexible diet allows it to adapt to many environments. As a result, its range is the entire Northern Hemisphere, from the Arctic Circle to North Africa to Central America to the Asiatic steppes. It's even in Australia, where it's considered an invasive species.

Like a guided missile, the fox harnesses the Earth's magnetic field to hunt. Other animals, like birds, sharks, and turtles, have this "magnetic sense," but the fox is the first one we've discovered that uses it to catch prey.

According to New Scientist, the fox can see the earth's magnetic field as a " ring of shadow" on its eyes that darkens as it moves toward magnetic north. When the shadow and the sound of prey lines up, it's time to pounce. Check out this video to see a fox in action.

Fox pups are born blind and don't open their eyes until nine days after birth. During that time, they stay with the vixen (female) in the den while the dog (male) brings them food. They live with their parents until they're 7 months old. Vixens sometimes go to great lengths to protect their pups-once, in England, a fox pup was caught in a wire trap for two weeks but survived because its mother brought it food every day.

Foxes are known to play among themselves, as well as with other animals. But play also establishes social hierarchy, and it starts very young. Animal behaviorist Sandra Alvarez-Betancourt studied thousands of hours of footage taken with an infrared camera of pup activity in the den. She discovered that the struggle for dominance starts as soon as the pups can walk. The play can be brutal-and even fatal. One in five pups never make it out of the den.

Roughly the size of a kitten, the fennec fox has elongated ears and a creamy coat. It lives in North African deserts, where it sleeps during the day to avoid the searing heat. The long ears not only allow it to hear prey, they also radiate body heat to keep the fox cool. Its paws are covered with fur so that the fox can walk on hot sand, like it's wearing snowshoes.

Although foxes are usually wild, their relationship with people goes way back. In 2011, researchers opened a grave in a 16,500-year-old Jordan cemetery to find the remains of a man and his pet fox. This was 4000 years before the first-known human and domestic dog were buried together.

This small fox lives on the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California. It's thought to be a descendant of gray foxes brought over by the people who settled the islands 13,000 years ago. Recent studies show that island foxes are genetically identical to each other. One group "set a record for the least genetic variation in a sexually reproducing species," according to The New York Times. Normally that's bad news, since lack of genetic diversity leads to disease and deformity, but the island fox has proven resilient. While at one point they were critically endangered, they've responded to conservation efforts and have been upgraded in status to near threatened.

For instance, the Arctic fox is either a blue morph or a white morph, which changes colors with the seasons. The white morph is brown or gray in summer and turns white when there's snow on the ground. The blue morph is dark gray or brown all year long.

The red fox also comes in many colors, including silver, black, orange, or a mix of all three. While color variations happen naturally, people have bred foxes for fur, leading to many different patterns. These include the marble fox, which is white with gray or black streaks; the cross fox, which is red with back patches; and the pink champagne fox, which has peachy-white fur and a pink nose.

In 1959, a Soviet geneticist named Dmitry Belyaev conducted an experiment in domestication. He selectively bred silver foxes, picking only the ones that showed the least aggression toward humans. Within 10 generations, the foxes started seeking people out, licking hands, barking, and wagging their tails. White spots appeared on their coats and they developed floppy ears. It suggested genetic links between how domesticated animals look and act. While the experiment's methodology has been challenged, the study gave insight into how selective breeding affects domestication.

Although wild animals should never be pets, thanks to Belyaev's experiment, domesticated foxes do exist. Unlike a tame fox, which has learned to tolerate humans, a domesticated fox is bred to be docile from birth. Laws for and access to pet foxes vary by location. They're reportedly curious and sweet-tempered, but also high-energy and tend to get into everything. Some liken it to living with a 2-year-old. (Note that unlike the foxes from the Siberian facility, foxes bred within the U.S. are not actually domesticated or tame).

In the 1960s, there was a rabies epidemic among foxes in Switzerland. Since rabies can be transferred to humans through an animal bite, and is often fatal, it was a public health crisis. The government wanted to vaccinate foxes against rabies, but administering the doses by hand proved difficult and expensive. Instead, they started dropping vaccinated chicken heads on the countryside for the foxes to eat-52,000 in all. "From 1979 to 1984, chicken heads would rain down on the countryside," according to The Atlantic. It worked. Rabies disappeared, a testimony to the effectiveness of vaccines, and to the foxes' love of chicken.

The Arctic fox, which lives in the northernmost parts of the hemisphere, can handle cold better than most animals on Earth. It doesn't shiver until -94° F (-70° C). Not only does the fox's thick fur hold in heat, it wraps its tail around its body like a blanket to keep warm. In autumn, the fox builds up fat, sometimes increasing its body weight by half. This adds insulation and helps the fox survive the coldest days of winter, when food is scarce.

The number of Arctic foxes is declining, and the reason may be the red fox. As temperatures increase, the red fox is moving into the Arctic tundra and competing for prey. Red foxes are superior hunters and, to make matters worse, they also eat Arctic foxes. None of this bodes well for the Arctic fox's future.

Since the 16th century, fox hunting has been a popular activity in Britain. In the 19th century, the upper classes turned fox hunting into a formalized sport, where a pack of hounds and men on horseback chase a fox until it's killed. Today, whether to ban fox hunting continues to be a controversial subject in the UK, where many people see foxes as pests. Currently, fox hunting is allowed with two dogs if the fox is damaging your property.

Some foxes can run up to 42 mph, giving new meaning to the phrase "quick like a fox." They're also agile. They can jump three feet in the air and climb fences and over roofs. They also have impressive endurance: One Arctic fox walked 2700 miles, from Norway to Canada, in three months. That's over 30 miles a day.

Examples include the nine-tail fox from various Asian cultures; the Reynard tales from medieval Europe; the sly trickster fox from Native American lore; and Aesop's " The Fox and the Crow." The Finnish believed a fox made the Northern Lights by running in the snow so that its tail swept sparks into the sky. From this, we get the phrase "fox fires" (though "Firefox," like the Mozilla internet browser, refers to the red panda).

In Western culture, foxes have long been called wily, clever, and cunning. This isn't a compliment, however, as these foxes were portrayed as deceptive tricksters only out for themselves. This attitude may reflect the fox's adaptability, nocturnal habits, and tenacious ability to get into a hen house or evade hunting dogs. Certainly foxes still outwit humans on a regular basis. In one video, an Arctic fox appears to play dead to escape Siberian fur trappers-proving itself to be one sly fox.

A study looking at urban foxes in London revealed something surprising: They are starting to look more like domesticated dogs. Compared to their rural relatives, London foxes have shorter snouts and smaller brains. While it's unclear why this is, the strange part is that the foxes are doing this to themselves. As evolutionary biologist Kevin Parsons explained to the BBC, "This is the result of foxes that have decided to live near people, showing these traits that make them look more like domesticated animals."

The bat-eared fox is aptly named, not just because of its 5-inch ears, but because of what it uses those ears for-like the bat, it listens for insects. On a typical night, it walks along the African savannah, listening for prey digging underground. Although the fox eats a variety of insects and lizards, most of its diet is made up of termites. In fact, the bat-eared fox often makes its home in termite mounds, which it usually cleans out of inhabitants before moving in.

During his voyage on the Beagle, Charles Darwin discovered a small fox on Chiloé Island off the coast of Chile. The fox was sitting on a rocky cliff gazing curiously at the ship anchored offshore. Darwin wrote, "He was so intently absorbed in watching the work of the officers, that I was able, by quietly walking up behind, to knock him on the head with my geological hammer."

Today, this small gray fox is critically endangered and lives in two spots in the world: On the Island of Chiloé and the mainland of Chile near a national park. The fox's greatest threats are habitat loss and rabid dogs.

Foxes make 40 different sounds, some of which you can listen to here. The most startling, though, might be its scream.
A version of this article was originally published in 2014; it has been updated for 2021.

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Foxes live on every continent except Antarctica and thrive in cities, towns, and rural settings. Despite being all around us, they're a bit of a mystery. Here's more about this elusive animal. Foxes are members of the Canidae family, which means they're related to wolves, jackals, and dogs.

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Back to News
Recently, fox sightings have been on the rise, which means you may have spotted a few of these bushy-tailed animals trotting around your garden. Here at WildThings, we think foxes are fascinating animals. Read on for 10 facts about foxes that just may surprise you:
1. Foxes are great night-time predators
Their eyes are specially adapted to be able to see in the dark . Behind the light sensitive cells lies another layer called the tapetum lucidum which reflects light back through the eye. This doubles the intensity of what the fox can see, making them excellent at catching prey.
2. Foxes are considered to be solitary animals
Unlike other members of the canine family, foxes are not considered to be pack animals. Foxes tend to live by themselves or in small family groups called a "skulk", which typically includes the mother fox and around 6 cubs.
3. Foxes can make over 40 different sounds 4. Foxes make use of the earth's magnetic field to hunt 5. People used to fear foxes but they are actually considered friendly animals 6. Foxes only reproduce once a year 7. Baby foxes are unable to see, walk or thermoregulate when they are born
If you've ever heard those scream like howls you will probably know the type of sounds we are talking about. Foxes can make a variation of screams, barks, and howls that can range from high pitched tones to lower tones to communicate different things.
8. Foxes don't just live in rural areas, they also live in cities 9. Foxes have a very varied diet 10. Foxes have impeccable hearing
Researchers have found that foxes are the first animals in the world to use the earth's magnetic fields to judge the distance and direction of their prey. They can use this to their advantage when hunting for small animals located in high grass.

Most fox species are known to be friendly, curious and playful whilst amongst other foxes and animals. There is also a long history of foxes playing with humans and bonding with them too. Foxes have been known to play with balls and will often take them from golf courses and gardens.

Foxes breed only once a year and mating usually occurs in January or early February. The vixen (female fox) then remains pregnant for around 60 days and will birth a typical litter of 4 - 6 cubs around March or April.

Mothers will typically nurse their cubs for the first two months of their lives until they develop these functions. Meanwhile, the male fox will go out and hunt for the family. The mother stays with the cubs in the den for around three weeks before the cubs venture out with their mother for the first time.

This is due to the wide availability of food and shelter in towns or cities. Urban foxes tend to dig their dens in the earth underneath bushes or garden sheds. Some also dig underneath tree roots and railway embankments.

Foxes are expert hunters, catching rabbits, rodents, birds, frogs and earthworms. But they aren't carnivores - they are actually omnivores as they dine on berries and fruit too. If you are thinking of feeding your garden foxes, WildThings Fox & Badger Food is specially formulated to contain all the nutrients a fox needs.

Researchers found that foxes have excellent low-frequency hearing. They can hear a watch ticking from 36 meters away and even hear rodents digging underground!

Want to find out more about all the wonderful wildlife the UK has? Follow us on social media today.

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10 facts about foxes that may surprise you - Wildthings

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Back to News Recently, fox sightings have been on the rise, which means you may have spotted a few of these bushy-tailed animals trotting around your garden. Here at WildThings, we think foxes are fascinating animals. Read on for 10 facts about foxes that just may surprise you: 1.

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Write 3 places

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Back to News
Recently, fox sightings have been on the rise, which means you may have spotted a few of these bushy-tailed animals trotting around your garden. Here at WildThings, we think foxes are fascinating animals. Read on for 10 facts about foxes that just may surprise you:
1. Foxes are great night-time predators
Their eyes are specially adapted to be able to see in the dark . Behind the light sensitive cells lies another layer called the tapetum lucidum which reflects light back through the eye. This doubles the intensity of what the fox can see, making them excellent at catching prey.
2. Foxes are considered to be solitary animals
Unlike other members of the canine family, foxes are not considered to be pack animals. Foxes tend to live by themselves or in small family groups called a "skulk", which typically includes the mother fox and around 6 cubs.
3. Foxes can make over 40 different sounds 4. Foxes make use of the earth's magnetic field to hunt 5. People used to fear foxes but they are actually considered friendly animals 6. Foxes only reproduce once a year 7. Baby foxes are unable to see, walk or thermoregulate when they are born
If you've ever heard those scream like howls you will probably know the type of sounds we are talking about. Foxes can make a variation of screams, barks, and howls that can range from high pitched tones to lower tones to communicate different things.
8. Foxes don't just live in rural areas, they also live in cities 9. Foxes have a very varied diet 10. Foxes have impeccable hearing
Researchers have found that foxes are the first animals in the world to use the earth's magnetic fields to judge the distance and direction of their prey. They can use this to their advantage when hunting for small animals located in high grass.

Most fox species are known to be friendly, curious and playful whilst amongst other foxes and animals. There is also a long history of foxes playing with humans and bonding with them too. Foxes have been known to play with balls and will often take them from golf courses and gardens.

Foxes breed only once a year and mating usually occurs in January or early February. The vixen (female fox) then remains pregnant for around 60 days and will birth a typical litter of 4 - 6 cubs around March or April.

Mothers will typically nurse their cubs for the first two months of their lives until they develop these functions. Meanwhile, the male fox will go out and hunt for the family. The mother stays with the cubs in the den for around three weeks before the cubs venture out with their mother for the first time.

This is due to the wide availability of food and shelter in towns or cities. Urban foxes tend to dig their dens in the earth underneath bushes or garden sheds. Some also dig underneath tree roots and railway embankments.

Foxes are expert hunters, catching rabbits, rodents, birds, frogs and earthworms. But they aren't carnivores - they are actually omnivores as they dine on berries and fruit too. If you are thinking of feeding your garden foxes, WildThings Fox & Badger Food is specially formulated to contain all the nutrients a fox needs.

Researchers found that foxes have excellent low-frequency hearing. They can hear a watch ticking from 36 meters away and even hear rodents digging underground!

Want to find out more about all the wonderful wildlife the UK has? Follow us on social media today.

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10 facts about foxes that may surprise you - Wildthings

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Back to News Recently, fox sightings have been on the rise, which means you may have spotted a few of these bushy-tailed animals trotting around your garden. Here at WildThings, we think foxes are fascinating animals. Read on for 10 facts about foxes that just may surprise you: 1.

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What number?

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Back to News
Recently, fox sightings have been on the rise, which means you may have spotted a few of these bushy-tailed animals trotting around your garden. Here at WildThings, we think foxes are fascinating animals. Read on for 10 facts about foxes that just may surprise you:
1. Foxes are great night-time predators
Their eyes are specially adapted to be able to see in the dark . Behind the light sensitive cells lies another layer called the tapetum lucidum which reflects light back through the eye. This doubles the intensity of what the fox can see, making them excellent at catching prey.
2. Foxes are considered to be solitary animals
Unlike other members of the canine family, foxes are not considered to be pack animals. Foxes tend to live by themselves or in small family groups called a "skulk", which typically includes the mother fox and around 6 cubs.
3. Foxes can make over 40 different sounds 4. Foxes make use of the earth's magnetic field to hunt 5. People used to fear foxes but they are actually considered friendly animals 6. Foxes only reproduce once a year 7. Baby foxes are unable to see, walk or thermoregulate when they are born
If you've ever heard those scream like howls you will probably know the type of sounds we are talking about. Foxes can make a variation of screams, barks, and howls that can range from high pitched tones to lower tones to communicate different things.
8. Foxes don't just live in rural areas, they also live in cities 9. Foxes have a very varied diet 10. Foxes have impeccable hearing
Researchers have found that foxes are the first animals in the world to use the earth's magnetic fields to judge the distance and direction of their prey. They can use this to their advantage when hunting for small animals located in high grass.

Most fox species are known to be friendly, curious and playful whilst amongst other foxes and animals. There is also a long history of foxes playing with humans and bonding with them too. Foxes have been known to play with balls and will often take them from golf courses and gardens.

Foxes breed only once a year and mating usually occurs in January or early February. The vixen (female fox) then remains pregnant for around 60 days and will birth a typical litter of 4 - 6 cubs around March or April.

Mothers will typically nurse their cubs for the first two months of their lives until they develop these functions. Meanwhile, the male fox will go out and hunt for the family. The mother stays with the cubs in the den for around three weeks before the cubs venture out with their mother for the first time.

This is due to the wide availability of food and shelter in towns or cities. Urban foxes tend to dig their dens in the earth underneath bushes or garden sheds. Some also dig underneath tree roots and railway embankments.

Foxes are expert hunters, catching rabbits, rodents, birds, frogs and earthworms. But they aren't carnivores - they are actually omnivores as they dine on berries and fruit too. If you are thinking of feeding your garden foxes, WildThings Fox & Badger Food is specially formulated to contain all the nutrients a fox needs.

Researchers found that foxes have excellent low-frequency hearing. They can hear a watch ticking from 36 meters away and even hear rodents digging underground!

Want to find out more about all the wonderful wildlife the UK has? Follow us on social media today.

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10 facts about foxes that may surprise you - Wildthings

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Back to News Recently, fox sightings have been on the rise, which means you may have spotted a few of these bushy-tailed animals trotting around your garden. Here at WildThings, we think foxes are fascinating animals. Read on for 10 facts about foxes that just may surprise you: 1.

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List 5 things

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What Do Foxes Eat? And More Fox Facts - Woodland Trust

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Credit: Age Fotostock / Alamy Stock Photo Foxes have a really diverse diet. They are expert hunters, catching rabbits, rodents, birds, frogs and earthworms as well as eating carrion. But they aren't carnivorous - they are actually omnivores as they dine on berries and fruit too.

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1/4 of the way down

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The beautiful red fox, with its bushy tail and dog-like features, lives throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Foxes are heavily persecuted for fur, sport and 'pest control', but at the same time they have thrived alongside humans in many urban and suburban areas.

Amazing Facts About the Red Fox

A fox's den is normally a burrow underground, also known as an 'earth', but they can also live above ground in a cosy hollow.

While they are solitary animals, during breeding season (winter) when they court and mate, the dog fox will support the female (vixen) by bringing food for the family (early spring).

You can often hear the mating calls, which is a sharp, high-pitched shrieking/screaming noise, which can sound quite terrifying.

Vixens are occasionally assisted in rearing their cubs by a non-breeding sister or a female cub from a previous litter. These 'aunts' gain valuable experience which helps them to rear their own litter successfully the next season. Occasionally there can be two dog fox's associated with one vixen.

The cubs' eyes and ears open after two weeks and at four weeks they will emerge from their dens. They have short noses which resemble puppies when born. However, many cubs die prematurely due to other predators (dogs, badgers), but their biggest killer is the motor vehicle. They also can die of starvation or cold during hard winters.

They catch small rodents with a characteristic high pounce. This technique is one of the first things cubs learn as they begin to hunt.

Foxes belong to the dog family, which includes wolves, coyotes, grey foxes, raccoon dogs and their relatives. All members of this family are incredibly adaptable animals, and this makes them successful colonisers in many areas of the world, practically in all habitats available and often in close proximity to humans.

Foxes are great night-time predators because their eyes are specially adapted to night vision. Behind the light sensitive cells lies another layer called the tapetum lucidum which reflects light back through the eye. This doubles the intensity of images received by the fox. Their eyes glow green when light is shone into them at night.

The fox does not chew its food. Instead it uses its carnassial or shearing teeth to cut the meat into manageable chunks.

A fox's range varies from 10 hectares in cities to over 2000 hectares in rural areas.

They were introduced to Australia in the mid-19th century and are native to Europe, Asia and North Africa.

There are native and non-native red foxes in North America; the native foxes are the Canadian Boreal Forest species that historically occurrs in the northern regions of North America. They colonised there shortly after the last glacial period, around 11,000 years ago. The non-native species were released by early European settlers for hunting purposes, as early as the mid 1700s.

Foxes have whiskers on their legs as well as around their faces, which they use to help them find their way

Foxes have also been known to climb trees and settle on low branches.

Relationship between Foxes and Humans

Over the centuries the fox has been hunted for its fur (and its' tail cut-off which is used as the hunters trophy, known as a 'brush').

Hunting foxes with dogs by hunters on horseback was a traditional activity in the UK for many years, but it was banned in response to welfare concerns in 2002 in Scotland and 2004 in England and Wales.

Foxes have a long association with humans. They are widely persecuted for fur, sport and 'pest control', but at the same time they have thrived in many urban and suburban areas.

Find more animals like this

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Amazing Facts about Red Foxes | OneKindPlanet Animal Education

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The beautiful red fox, with its bushy tail and dog-like features, lives throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Foxes are heavily persecuted for fur, sport and 'pest control', but at the same time they have thrived alongside humans in many urban and suburban areas.

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One special breed of fox doesn't need to drink water.

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One special breed of fox doesn't need to drink water.

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What breed? How is this possible?

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The fennec fox loses body heat through its big ears, which helps it keep cool in the hot desert climate.

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What is interesting about a foxes hearing? 

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What is interesting about a foxes hearing? 

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How fast can a fox run to catch its prey?

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How fast can a fox run to catch its prey?

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19th fact

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Foxes live on every continent except Antarctica and thrive in cities, towns, and rural settings. Despite being all around us, they're a bit of a mystery. Here's more about this elusive animal.

Foxes are members of the Canidae family, which means they're related to wolves, jackals, and dogs. They're medium-sized, weighing anywhere between 2 and 24 pounds, with pointy faces, lithe frames, and bushy tails.

Unlike their relatives, foxes are not pack animals. When raising their young, they live in small families-called a "leash of foxes" or a " skulk of foxes "-in underground burrows. Otherwise, they hunt and sleep alone.

Like a cat, the fox is most active after the sun goes down. It has vertically oriented pupils so it can see in dim light, and it hunts by stalking and pouncing on its prey. The fox also has sensitive cat-like whiskers and spines on its tongue. It walks on its toes, which accounts for its elegant, feline-like tread. The gray fox even has semi-retractable claws, making it the only member of the dog family that climbs trees. It has been known to sleep in the branches-just like a cat.

Although there are 37 animals called foxes, only 12 are considered " true foxes," meaning they're from the genus Vulpes. Some of these include the red, Arctic, fennec, and kit foxes. True foxes have flattened skulls, triangular snouts, and fluffy tails, but it's common to be confused when seeing one in real life. Research found that while nature lovers can identify most North American mammals, they frequently mix foxes up with other canids, like coyotes.

Geographically, the red fox has the widest range of any of the 280 animals in the order Carnivora. While its natural habitat is a mixed landscape of scrub and woodland, its flexible diet allows it to adapt to many environments. As a result, its range is the entire Northern Hemisphere, from the Arctic Circle to North Africa to Central America to the Asiatic steppes. It's even in Australia, where it's considered an invasive species.

Like a guided missile, the fox harnesses the Earth's magnetic field to hunt. Other animals, like birds, sharks, and turtles, have this "magnetic sense," but the fox is the first one we've discovered that uses it to catch prey.

According to New Scientist, the fox can see the earth's magnetic field as a " ring of shadow" on its eyes that darkens as it moves toward magnetic north. When the shadow and the sound of prey lines up, it's time to pounce. Check out this video to see a fox in action.

Fox pups are born blind and don't open their eyes until nine days after birth. During that time, they stay with the vixen (female) in the den while the dog (male) brings them food. They live with their parents until they're 7 months old. Vixens sometimes go to great lengths to protect their pups-once, in England, a fox pup was caught in a wire trap for two weeks but survived because its mother brought it food every day.

Foxes are known to play among themselves, as well as with other animals. But play also establishes social hierarchy, and it starts very young. Animal behaviorist Sandra Alvarez-Betancourt studied thousands of hours of footage taken with an infrared camera of pup activity in the den. She discovered that the struggle for dominance starts as soon as the pups can walk. The play can be brutal-and even fatal. One in five pups never make it out of the den.

Roughly the size of a kitten, the fennec fox has elongated ears and a creamy coat. It lives in North African deserts, where it sleeps during the day to avoid the searing heat. The long ears not only allow it to hear prey, they also radiate body heat to keep the fox cool. Its paws are covered with fur so that the fox can walk on hot sand, like it's wearing snowshoes.

Although foxes are usually wild, their relationship with people goes way back. In 2011, researchers opened a grave in a 16,500-year-old Jordan cemetery to find the remains of a man and his pet fox. This was 4000 years before the first-known human and domestic dog were buried together.

This small fox lives on the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California. It's thought to be a descendant of gray foxes brought over by the people who settled the islands 13,000 years ago. Recent studies show that island foxes are genetically identical to each other. One group "set a record for the least genetic variation in a sexually reproducing species," according to The New York Times. Normally that's bad news, since lack of genetic diversity leads to disease and deformity, but the island fox has proven resilient. While at one point they were critically endangered, they've responded to conservation efforts and have been upgraded in status to near threatened.

For instance, the Arctic fox is either a blue morph or a white morph, which changes colors with the seasons. The white morph is brown or gray in summer and turns white when there's snow on the ground. The blue morph is dark gray or brown all year long.

The red fox also comes in many colors, including silver, black, orange, or a mix of all three. While color variations happen naturally, people have bred foxes for fur, leading to many different patterns. These include the marble fox, which is white with gray or black streaks; the cross fox, which is red with back patches; and the pink champagne fox, which has peachy-white fur and a pink nose.

In 1959, a Soviet geneticist named Dmitry Belyaev conducted an experiment in domestication. He selectively bred silver foxes, picking only the ones that showed the least aggression toward humans. Within 10 generations, the foxes started seeking people out, licking hands, barking, and wagging their tails. White spots appeared on their coats and they developed floppy ears. It suggested genetic links between how domesticated animals look and act. While the experiment's methodology has been challenged, the study gave insight into how selective breeding affects domestication.

Although wild animals should never be pets, thanks to Belyaev's experiment, domesticated foxes do exist. Unlike a tame fox, which has learned to tolerate humans, a domesticated fox is bred to be docile from birth. Laws for and access to pet foxes vary by location. They're reportedly curious and sweet-tempered, but also high-energy and tend to get into everything. Some liken it to living with a 2-year-old. (Note that unlike the foxes from the Siberian facility, foxes bred within the U.S. are not actually domesticated or tame).

In the 1960s, there was a rabies epidemic among foxes in Switzerland. Since rabies can be transferred to humans through an animal bite, and is often fatal, it was a public health crisis. The government wanted to vaccinate foxes against rabies, but administering the doses by hand proved difficult and expensive. Instead, they started dropping vaccinated chicken heads on the countryside for the foxes to eat-52,000 in all. "From 1979 to 1984, chicken heads would rain down on the countryside," according to The Atlantic. It worked. Rabies disappeared, a testimony to the effectiveness of vaccines, and to the foxes' love of chicken.

The Arctic fox, which lives in the northernmost parts of the hemisphere, can handle cold better than most animals on Earth. It doesn't shiver until -94° F (-70° C). Not only does the fox's thick fur hold in heat, it wraps its tail around its body like a blanket to keep warm. In autumn, the fox builds up fat, sometimes increasing its body weight by half. This adds insulation and helps the fox survive the coldest days of winter, when food is scarce.

The number of Arctic foxes is declining, and the reason may be the red fox. As temperatures increase, the red fox is moving into the Arctic tundra and competing for prey. Red foxes are superior hunters and, to make matters worse, they also eat Arctic foxes. None of this bodes well for the Arctic fox's future.

Since the 16th century, fox hunting has been a popular activity in Britain. In the 19th century, the upper classes turned fox hunting into a formalized sport, where a pack of hounds and men on horseback chase a fox until it's killed. Today, whether to ban fox hunting continues to be a controversial subject in the UK, where many people see foxes as pests. Currently, fox hunting is allowed with two dogs if the fox is damaging your property.

Some foxes can run up to 42 mph, giving new meaning to the phrase "quick like a fox." They're also agile. They can jump three feet in the air and climb fences and over roofs. They also have impressive endurance: One Arctic fox walked 2700 miles, from Norway to Canada, in three months. That's over 30 miles a day.

Examples include the nine-tail fox from various Asian cultures; the Reynard tales from medieval Europe; the sly trickster fox from Native American lore; and Aesop's " The Fox and the Crow." The Finnish believed a fox made the Northern Lights by running in the snow so that its tail swept sparks into the sky. From this, we get the phrase "fox fires" (though "Firefox," like the Mozilla internet browser, refers to the red panda).

In Western culture, foxes have long been called wily, clever, and cunning. This isn't a compliment, however, as these foxes were portrayed as deceptive tricksters only out for themselves. This attitude may reflect the fox's adaptability, nocturnal habits, and tenacious ability to get into a hen house or evade hunting dogs. Certainly foxes still outwit humans on a regular basis. In one video, an Arctic fox appears to play dead to escape Siberian fur trappers-proving itself to be one sly fox.

A study looking at urban foxes in London revealed something surprising: They are starting to look more like domesticated dogs. Compared to their rural relatives, London foxes have shorter snouts and smaller brains. While it's unclear why this is, the strange part is that the foxes are doing this to themselves. As evolutionary biologist Kevin Parsons explained to the BBC, "This is the result of foxes that have decided to live near people, showing these traits that make them look more like domesticated animals."

The bat-eared fox is aptly named, not just because of its 5-inch ears, but because of what it uses those ears for-like the bat, it listens for insects. On a typical night, it walks along the African savannah, listening for prey digging underground. Although the fox eats a variety of insects and lizards, most of its diet is made up of termites. In fact, the bat-eared fox often makes its home in termite mounds, which it usually cleans out of inhabitants before moving in.

During his voyage on the Beagle, Charles Darwin discovered a small fox on Chiloé Island off the coast of Chile. The fox was sitting on a rocky cliff gazing curiously at the ship anchored offshore. Darwin wrote, "He was so intently absorbed in watching the work of the officers, that I was able, by quietly walking up behind, to knock him on the head with my geological hammer."

Today, this small gray fox is critically endangered and lives in two spots in the world: On the Island of Chiloé and the mainland of Chile near a national park. The fox's greatest threats are habitat loss and rabid dogs.

Foxes make 40 different sounds, some of which you can listen to here. The most startling, though, might be its scream.
A version of this article was originally published in 2014; it has been updated for 2021.

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Foxes live on every continent except Antarctica and thrive in cities, towns, and rural settings. Despite being all around us, they're a bit of a mystery. Here's more about this elusive animal. Foxes are members of the Canidae family, which means they're related to wolves, jackals, and dogs.

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This explainer on magnets and magnetism is intended for our elementary and middle-school readers. If you're feeling magnetically drawn to read more on this topic, check out our long-form article How Magnets Work.
Magnets are fun to play with. It feels like you have a magic wand! Magnets are pieces of metal or rock with an invisible power to attract special kinds of metal. That power is called a force. In nature, a force is something that causes a push or a pull. Gravity is the force that keeps you from floating off the ground. Magnetism is the force that makes a magnet stick to your refrigerator.

The Earth Is a Magnet

Magnetism is at work all around you. Almost everything that uses electricity or runs with a motor has magnets in it. The magnetic force helps your car run, your microwave cook and your computer work. Even the Earth we live on is a giant magnet!

The middle of our planet is made of two metals called iron and nickel. Both metals are attracted to magnets. These special metals can also become magnets. Our planet is always turning around in space, and Earth's metal core is turning, too. These movements make a magnetic force that surrounds the Earth called a magnetic field.

A magnetic field is the area around a magnet that has magnetic force. All magnets have a magnetic field, no matter how big they are. Things that are attracted to magnets are called magnetic objects. All magnetic objects are made of metal, but not all metals are magnetic. The main metals that are attracted by magnets are iron, cobalt and nickel. You can turn one of these metals into a magnet by rubbing it with a magnet!

If a magnetic object like a paper clip enters a magnetic field, it is pulled toward the magnet. Magnetic fields even work under water. A strong magnet can even attract a magnetic object through a table.

Magnets Have Two Poles: North and South

A magnet has two ends, called poles. One end is the north pole, and the other is the south pole. Can you think of something else that has a north pole and a south pole? That's right - Earth is a lot like a magnet! Compasses work by magnetizing the rotating hand so it lines up with the magnetic poles of the planet.

If you hold two magnets in your hands, the north pole of one magnet will always attract the south pole of another. Opposite poles push each other away.

Because our planet is like a big magnet, it also has a magnetic field. Earth's magnetic field protects us from the sun's radiation. The North and South poles have natural colorful light shows called northern and southern lights. These lights are caused by sprays of energy coming off the sun bumping into the magnetic field of Earth.

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A Kid-friendly Introduction to Magnets and Magnetism

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This explainer on magnets and magnetism is intended for our elementary and middle-school readers. If you're feeling magnetically drawn to read more on this topic, check out our long-form article How Magnets Work . Magnets are fun to play with. It feels like you have a magic wand!

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How does what we learned today relate to the Tokay Gecko problem?

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How does what we learned today relate to the Tokay Gecko problem?

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What does a magnetic field have to do with a fox hunting?

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What does a magnetic field have to do with a fox hunting?

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EarthSky | Updates on your cosmos and world

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Birds do it. Bees do it. Now, foxes are the most recent of Earth's animals suspected of utilizing Earth's magnetic field as part of their everyday functioning.

Foxes that are hunting small animals in high grass or deep snow might be using the magnetic field to launch a successful attack against prey. Writing in the journal Biology Letters, a Czech research team said it suspects the foxes use an internal compass to judge both direction and distance.

It's been shown that cows and deer, not just birds and bees, orient their direction to the Earth's magnetic field. But foxes are the first animals thought to use an internal compass to determine the distance to prey.

Foxes jump high to surprise their prey from above, a hunting technique called "mousing." Czech researchers observed that foxes on the hunt tend to direct their jumps in a roughly northeastern compass direction, regardless of the time of day, cloud cover, or other factors that could affect how they perceive their prey. In fact, a large majority of the nearly 600 attacks the scientists observed were oriented in the same direction. They found that 74 percent of the north-east-oriented attacks were successful, while attacks launched in other directions had only an 18 percent rate of success. That's too big a difference to be random, the scientists believe.

Foxes are known to use their keen sense of hearing before launching their jump, and that works well when they can also see their prey. But the scientists had reason to suspect that they had another sense to judge how far to jump when they can't see small creatures in snow or high vegetation.

The research team wrote:

We suggest that mousing red foxes may use the magnetic field as a 'range finder' or targeting system to measure distance to its prey and thus increase the accuracy of predatory attacks.

They suggest that the fox may see a ring of "shadow" on its retina, that is superimposed on its surroundings and always fixed towards magnetic north. The fox would line up the shadow with where it hears its prey, and is thus always at a fixed distance away from the prey when it launches its attack.

Here's how Nature explains it:

Think of a laser pointer attached to you that always points slightly downwards in the same direction. Now think of some object on the ground. If you walk towards the object until the laser spot is on top of it you know that object is a set distance away.

That may explain why foxes are such good hunters: they use the Earth's magnetic field to zero in on their prey.
Klaus Schulten on how birds navigate

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EarthSky | Foxes use Earth's magnetic field to jump on prey

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Birds do it. Bees do it. Now, foxes are the most recent of Earth's animals suspected of utilizing Earth's magnetic field as part of their everyday functioning. Foxes that are hunting small animals in high grass or deep snow might be using the magnetic field to launch a successful attack against prey.