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Quick Facts: "Mother knows best" Research Study (Whiteside, et al. 2011)

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Quick Facts: "Mother knows best" Research Study (Whiteside, et al. 2011)

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~Tolerance of remaining subordinates by dominant pair fueled by benefits of survival out way risk of inbreeding.
~Groups consist of individuals from earlier litters or dispersals from other groups.
~Kin competition and incest avoidance are leading actors of dispersal.
~related males disperse to avoid breeding with dominate females, where as unrelated males may disperse to avoid resource competition.
~dominant females will benefit from related resident females remaining to provide alloparental care to her offspring

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Dispersal directly affects female ability to reproduce during their first reproductive season. Due to the inequality of reproductive rates, it is thought to have a key role in social group formation (Soulsbury, 2008)
Dispersal individuals have relatively low increase risks of mortality or starvation. Specially, the only benefits leading to group formation was that in female individuals. This is due to their increased stress when on their own, it can cause reproductive failure if she has not found own territory for breeding (Soulsbury, 2008).
Extra pair copulation is a high factor leading to large social groups. Dominant males find little reason for increased agression against unrelated males mating to related females.
This provides benefit to male once female has offspring, for he can gain dominance over unrelated females of the litter (Whiteside, 2011).

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Usually consisting of one dominant pair, likely the parents of subordinate offspring. Due survival risk,  offspring will remain in natal territory (resident animals) while others disperse from group. (Soulsbury, 2008)
These dispersal animals have greater risk of mortality but are essential for incest adovidance (Whiteside, 2011).

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Due to the relatedness of the fox families they form a hierarchy plays an important role in incest avoidance.
Under normal conditions the dominant pair will send  males off after first year and selects excessively social individuals (usually females) to remain and help care for upcoming litters (Whiteside, 2011)
When subordinate females become pregnant from a dispersal male (Not related to dominant) it is likely that the dominant pair will force these cubs into dispersal once physically mature (Whiteside, 2011).

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**The male and female are often found together. The male follows the female closely and once she gives birth he provides for her while she nurses

**mating season only lasts a few weeks, and during this period female foxes come into heat once. **Her "oestrus" is short, on average, three days.

**Gestation period is slightly shorter than domestic dog, 53 days.

**Gives birth in spring, to 5-6 cubs.

**Mating Season is when fights and vocalizations are their highest
**Dispersal Season, in Autumn.

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Quick Facts: "Fitness Costs.." Research Study (Soulsbury, et al. 2008)

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Quick Facts: "Fitness Costs.." Research Study (Soulsbury, et al. 2008)

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~The act of dispersal did not hurt or improve the lifespan of the fox.
~Dispersal animals often show more wounds than that of resident males. Thought to believe the dispersal animals risk injury when confrontation with resident animals occur.
~Dispersal females are much likelier to miss first opportunities of reproduction than dispersal males.

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Social dominance within mixed aged groups results in a hierarchy where the older males force subordinates to halt reproductive activities. This has been proven in bulls as well as rams, (Price, 111).
This behavior is also expressed in the social groups of foxes. Within the study on mix-aged male bull herds, the greater dominance of the older males resulted in disadvantages in over all reproductive activity
(Price, 112).
Fox groupings are able to avoid this complication due to their  single dominant pair that controls the majority of the reproductive activities and actively influence dispersal of most offspring (Whiteside, 2011).

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Although thought to be monogamous, but in larger populations they become increasing polygamous (The fox website).
As social living increases the risk for subordinate mating also increases.
Resident (subordinate) females are likely to mate with dispersal males from other families (Soulsbury, 2008)
Due to these risks, dominant male must constantly protect his territory. This has lead to increased wounds on dispersal males during mating season, as they look to intrude on mating opportunities (Soulsbury, 2008).

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fox species are generalists that can adapt to most habitats

Foxes are typically monogamous but often engage in polygamous behaviors (The fox website).

Average life span is 14 years, similar to domestic dog

They have flexible social systems, living alone or in pairs or group living depends on ecological conditions. (Soulsbury, 2008)

Fox families consist of a dominant pair and subordinate individuals, usually those to remained in natal territory or opportunistic dispersal individuals from other families (Whiteside, 2011).

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Similarities between these species sexual behavior is quite apparent in the attached video.
As many canid species, they tend to maintain close proximity and raise young together. Though little research has been done on this topic, vixens
(female fox) tend to display the "plain pickiness" as discussed by Price, (135).

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Foxes Mating - Very Rare Footage! - Fascinating Behaviour

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Foxes Mating - Very Rare Footage! - Fascinating Behaviour Subscribe for more Amazing Wildlife videos from Simon King https://www.youtube.com/user/simonkingwildlife?sub_confirmation=1 Fox Fleur mating with Brun, her son. Amazingly rare film! Male foxes fight and scrap at the end. This rarely seen footage was captured on Fox family cam by Simon King.