Common fox

The fox is very widespread: throughout Europe , North Africa ( Egypt , Algeria , Morocco , northern Tunisia ), most of Asia (up to northern India , southern China and Indochina), in North America from the Arctic zone to the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico . The fox was acclimatized in Australia and spread throughout the continent, with the exception of some northern regions with a humid subequatorial climate.

It was previously believed that a separate species of foxes lives in America, but recently it has been considered as a subspecies of the red fox.

The color and size of the foxes are different in different places; in total there are 40-50 subspecies , not taking into account smaller forms. In general, when moving north, foxes become larger and brighter, to the south - smaller and more dull colored. In the northern regions and in the mountains, black-brown and other melanistic forms of fox color are also more common. The most common color of the fox: a bright red back, white belly, dark paws. Often foxes have brown stripes on the ridge and shoulder blades, similar to a cross. Common features: dark ears and a white tail tip. Outwardly, the fox is a medium-sized animal with an elegant body on low, thin legs, with an elongated muzzle, sharp ears and a long fluffy tail.

Shedding begins in February-March and ends in mid-summer. Immediately after this, the winter fur begins to grow on the fox, in which she fully dresses by the turn of November and December. Summer fur is much rarer and shorter, winter fur is more dense and lush. Foxes are distinguished by large auricles-locators, with the help of which they pick up sound vibrations. Ears for foxes are a “catcher” of prey.

A significant variety of color and size of the fox is associated with the breadth of its range and a large variety of living conditions in its individual parts. It is enough to say that foxes inhabit, although with different densities, all landscape-geographical zones, starting from the tundra and subarctic forests and up to the steppes and deserts , including mountain ranges in all climatic zones. Moreover, the fox is found not only in the wild, but also in cultural landscapes, as well as on the outskirts of cities, including large ones (such as Kiev and Warsaw ; in London, foxes are very common on the outskirts, and sometimes appear in the central part of the city) . Moreover, at times, in an urban area, the fox finds a particularly favorable environment. They often live in urban landfills, parks and basements.

In all parts of its range, the fox prefers open areas, as well as areas where there are separate groves, copses, hills and ravines , especially if in winter the snow cover in them is not too deep and loose. Therefore, of all climatic zones, foxes live most in the steppe and forest-steppe , and not in the forest.

The fox is a beast quite settled. In most areas, it does not have regular migrations. Cases of such are noted only in the tundra, deserts and mountains. For example, one of the foxes tagged in the Malozemelskaya tundra ( Arkhangelsk Oblast , Russia ) was later killed 600 kilometers southwest. Young animals that are settled from the parent's den are usually at a distance of 2-5 to 15-30 km from it.

The number of foxes varies markedly over the years. Its condition is influenced by factors such as the number of rodents , meteorological conditions, the presence of infectious diseases in the population. In hungry years, not only does the female fertility drop and fewer puppies survive, but conditions also arise that are favorable for the spread of epizootics , which sometimes cover large areas. Epizootics characteristic of foxes are rabies , predator plague, scabies .

In the wild, foxes rarely live more than seven years, often life expectancy does not exceed three. In captivity, animals live up to 20-25 years.

The fox, although it belongs to typical predators, feeds on very diverse feeds. Among the food she eats, more than 400 species of animals alone have been identified, not counting dozens of plant species. Everywhere, the basis of its nutrition is small rodents, mainly voles . One can even say that the state of the population of this predator depends to a large extent on the sufficiency of their number and accessibility. This especially applies to the winter period, when the fox lives primarily by hunting for voles: the animal, smelling the rodent under the snow cover, listens to his squeaks or rustles, and then dives quickly into the snow, or scatters it with its paws, trying to catch its prey. This method of hunting is called mousing .

Larger mammals , in particular hares , play a much smaller role in nutrition, although in some cases foxes purposefully catch them (especially hare), and corpses can eat during a hare pestilence. Sometimes large foxes can attack roe deer cubs. The birds are not as important as the rodents in feeding the fox, although this predator will never miss the chance to catch a bird that has appeared on the ground (from the smallest to the largest, such as geese and capercaillie ), as well as destroy the laying of eggs or flightless chicks. A fox can abduct poultry, but, according to the observations of zoologists, it does this much less often than is commonly believed.

In deserts and semi-deserts, foxes often hunt reptiles. In Canada and northeastern Eurasia, foxes that live along large rivers seasonally feed almost 100% of the salmon that died after spawning. In the summer, foxes eat a lot of bugs and other insects , as well as, very willingly, their larvae. In hunger periods, they often feed on carrion.

Plant foods — fruits, fruits, berries, and less often vegetative parts of plants — are part of the nutrition of foxes almost everywhere, but most of all in the south of the range; however, nowhere do they play a key role in the nutrition of representatives of this species. They cause significant damage to oat crops, eating these plants in a state of milk ripeness.

An individual site, which is occupied by a couple or a family of foxes, should provide them not only with a sufficient amount of food, but also places suitable for installation of holes. Foxes dig them themselves, or (which often happens) occupy the empty burrows of badgers , marmots , arctic foxes and other digging animals, adapting them to their needs. There are times when a fox lives in a burrow at the same time as a badger, but in different units.

Most often, foxes settle on the slopes of ravines and hills, choosing sites with sandy soil , protected from flooding by rain, ground and melt water . Even if a hole is dug up independently, not to mention badgers and others, it usually has several inlets that lead through more or less long tunnels into a nesting chamber. Sometimes foxes use natural shelters - caves, crevices of rocks, hollows of thick trees. In most cases (but not always) housing is well covered with dense thickets. But it is unmasked by long paths, and near it - large emissions of land near the entrances, numerous food debris, excrement, etc. Often, on the "towns" of foxes lush weed vegetation develops.

As a rule, foxes use permanent shelters only during the upbringing of the cubs, and during the rest of the year, in particular in winter, rest in open dens in snow or grass. But, fleeing persecution, foxes at any time of the year can take refuge in any hole that can be found in their habitats. Also, during the upbringing of offspring, animals are often forced to change housing several times because of their infection with parasites.

Like a wolf , a fox belongs to monogamous animals that breed only once a year. The time of the rut and its effectiveness depends on the weather and the fatness of the animals. There are years when up to 60% of females are left without offspring.

Even in winter, foxes begin to search for places in order to breed young animals, and zealously guard them. Ownerless holes at this time practically do not exist, in the event of the death of one female, her dwelling immediately occupies another. The female is often looked after by two or three males, bloody fights occur between them.

Foxes are good parents. Males take an active part in raising offspring, as well as take care of girlfriends even before the appearance of foxes. They equip burrows, even catch fleas from females. In the case of the death of his father, another single male takes his place, sometimes foxes even fight among themselves for the right to become a stepfather.

Pregnancy in foxes lasts 49-58 days. In the brood, there are from 4-6 to 12-13 puppies covered with dark brown hair. Outwardly, they resemble wolf cubs, but differ in the white tip of the tail. At two weeks of age, the foxes begin to see and hear, their first teeth erupt. Both parents take part in the education of foxes. Father and mother are extremely careful at this time, and in the event of a threat, the cubs will immediately be transferred to the reserve hole. They also have to hunt around the clock to feed offspring. Young puppies begin to wean early from the "house" and often meet far from it, while still very young.

A month and a half, the mother feeds her cubs with milk in addition, parents gradually accustom cubs to ordinary food, as well as to its procurement. Soon, the grown foxes begin to go hunting with their father and mother, playing among themselves, pestering the elders, sometimes endangering the whole family. About 6 months pass from the time of the rut to the final exit. By autumn, the foxes are fully grown and can live independently. Males go 20-40 kilometers, females 10-15, rarely 30 kilometers, looking for a site and a pair. Some females from the next year begin to breed, in any case, reach puberty at the age of two.

A fox moving quietly follows a straight line, leaving behind a clear chain of tracks. A frightened animal can run very quickly, at a gallop or literally sprawled above the ground, stretching its tail completely. Of the fox's senses, the most developed sense of smell and hearing. The fox's vision is adapted for the darkness in which most foxes are active. Like many predators, foxes respond well to movement, but do not recognize colors well, especially during the day; therefore, for example, a fox can come very close to a person sitting motionless or standing on the windy side.

During the rut and just in a state of excitement, the fox makes a jerky loud bark; the foxes screech when they fight. According to the voice, the female and the male are different: the female makes a triple “take-off”, ending with a short howl, the male barks in the manner of a dog, without howling.

Many foxes, especially young ones, lay down in the field for a day, if it is located near the forest and is rich in rodents. Before settling down under a bush or tubercle, the fox, frozen in place, inspects the surroundings for a long time for danger. Then he curls up, covering his nose and paws with his tail, but before falling asleep, he looks around the district several more times. Also, foxes like to relax in dense thickets, ravines and other inaccessible places.

Foxes hunt at different times of the day, however, preferring early morning and late evening, and where they are not chased, they meet during the day, without detecting anxiety when they meet a person. Otherwise, these animals are distinguished by extreme caution and an amazing ability to hide and chase after the track - that is why in the folklore of many peoples the fox is the embodiment of cunning and dexterity (see reflection in art ).
Foxes living near hiking trails, boarding houses, in places where hunting is prohibited, quickly get used to the presence of a person, are easily susceptible to feeding and can begging.

It is assumed that foxes have a sense of magnetic field ^[1] .

The fox is of great economic importance as a valuable fur-bearing animal, as well as a regulator of the number of rodents and insects. Moreover, the damage caused by foxes and game birds is much less than the benefits they bring, destroying rodents - consumers of grain.

Foxes specially for fur are bred in captivity. At the end of the XIX century, a breed of silver-black ( black-brown ) foxes was artificially bred. Then, thanks to selection , the quality of the fur was significantly improved (compared to the wild type ) in this breed, and a number of other fur breeds based on it were bred: platinum, Bakurian, Dakot and others.

In the south of Europe, wild foxes are the most common carrier of the rabies virus , so they are vaccinated everywhere.

In 1959, D. K. Belyaev , director of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics , began a long-term experiment on the domestication of silver-black foxes. In the course of the experiment, only individuals most friendly to humans were selected for reproduction. The result of the experiment was the creation of a population of domesticated silver-black foxes that have differences from their wild ancestors in physiology , morphology and behavior . The result was a population of domesticated foxes , some representatives of which show signs absent in the original population: a curved tail, a change in the color of the coat (the appearance of white spotting), a change in the proportions of the skull, in some puppies, drooping ears are noticeable at an early age. There has been a change in the seasonality of reproduction. There are changes in various systems, including neuroendocrine. The quality of the fur deteriorated. This project is a model of the microevolutionary process and is being conducted for research purposes ^{[3] [4] [5]} .

In Russia, ordinary foxes (Lycaon pictus) are included in the List of animals forbidden to keep (except for the maintenance and use of such animals in zoos, zoos, circuses, zoos) ^[6] .

The species is very rich in a variety of subspecies: there are more than 40 of them. In this, it is second only to the wolf , the progenitor of a domestic dog and shows an amazing adaptive ability to survive in the process of evolution and life of this omnivorous animal:

The red fox is a very common character of folklore from around the world. In European countries, as a rule, it embodies cunning and cunning, speaking in quite a variety of roles: from treacherous villains (as in a number of Russian fairy tales) to clever advisers (As in Boris Shergin 's fairy tale “ Poig and the Fox ”). One of the most famous fox characters is Fox Renard - the character of the classic medieval poem "The novel about the Fox ."

In Mesopotamian mythology, the fox is a sacred animal. She serves the goddess Ki as a messenger. In Finland, the fox is a symbol of cunning, but not evil.

In Japanese mythology, there are kitsune werewolf foxes that can take on a human form. They have great knowledge and magic. Kitsune later became popular in literature, movies, and video games. Spirits similar to kitsune also appear in Chinese and Korean myths.

Literature

• 1100 - Medieval poem "The novel about the fox"
• 1793 - “ Reinecke-lis ” by I. V. Goethe
• 1879 - “Brother Fox and Brother Rabbit. From the Tales of Uncle Remus » Joel Chandler Harris
• 1902 - “How the Brigadier Killed the Fox” from Arthur Conan Doyle 's collection “The Feats of the Brigadier Gerard ”
• 1883 - The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi : The Fox, one of the negative characters
• 1905 - The Red Fox by Charles Roberts : On the Life of a Fox from the Wilder Forests of Eastern Canada
• 1909 - "Domino" E. Seton-Thompson : about the adventures of a fox named Domino
• 1935 - The Golden Key, or The Adventures of Pinocchio by Alexei Tolstoy : Fox Alice
• 1943 - The Little Prince A.-E. Exupery . Fox has become a classic about taming.
• 1965 - "The Fox Wook " by Istvan Fekete
• 1967 - The Fox and the Hunting Dog by Daniel Pratt Mannix
• 1970 - The Peerless Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl : Mr. Fox, Mrs. Fox and Their Children
• 2001 - The Case of the Fox-Werewolves by Holm van Zaichik : An Alternative Story with Elements of Mysticism
• 2004 - The Holy Book of the Werewolf V. Pelevin: About the Werewolf A Hooley
• 2005 - “Fox Ulysses” by Fred Adra : about an intelligent, intelligent, fair, gallant fox.
• 2005 - "The Moon Beast" by Harry Kilworth

Animation

• 1937 - “Reinecke Fox” directed by Vladislav Starevich : based on the poem of the same name by I.V. Goethe .
• 1946 - The Fox and the Thrush
• 1953 - The Painted Fox
• 1954 - Three Bags of Tricks
• 1958 - The Fungus-Teremok .
• 1964 - The Cat Fisherman .
• 1966 - The Tails .
• 1973 - The Fox and the Hare
• 1973 - “ Burenka from Maslenkino ” - Lisa Patrikeevna .
• 1973 - " Robin Hood " Disney Studios: Robin Hood and the girl Marian.
• 1975 - The Fox and the Bear .
• 1978 - “ Poig and the Fox ”: based on the tales of Boris Shergin .
• 1979 - “ How a Fox Hare Caught ”
• 1980 - “ How foxes made friends with chickens ”: based on the tales of Jan Ekholm.
• 1981 - “ Wook ”: based on the tale of I. Fekete about an orphaned fox.
• 1981 - The Golden Chicken .
• 1981 - Fox and the Hunting Dog at Disney Studios: Fox Tod and his girlfriend Vixie. Based on the book of the same name by Daniel Pratt Mannix
• 1982 - " Lisa Patrikeevna

"* 1983 - The Smallest Dwarf " (fourth series).

• 1984 - “Pillow for the Sun” - fox Alice and her grandmother
• 1984 - The Wolf and the Calf .
• 1985 - 15 series “Well, wait a minute!” : Fox, singer in the House of Culture
• 1986 - " Housewarming at the Bunny Rabbit " - Brother Fox. Based on the works of J. Harris
• 1986 - “ Petya-rooster is gone ”
• 1986 - “ Wonderful Forest ”: one of the characters in the cartoon is the fox Lily. Based on the book of Sunchan Shkrynyarich
• 2004 - “ The Orphan Fox ” - the Bashkir fairy tale from the series “The Mountain of Gems ”.
• 2004 - “The Cat and the Fox ” - a Russian fairy tale from the series “The Mountain of Gems”.
• 2005 - “The Fox and the Thrush ” - the Ukrainian fairy tale from the series “The Mountain of Gems”.
• 2005 - “The Raven-deceiver ” - Itelmen fairy tale from the series “Mountain of gems”.
• 2006 - The Fox Girl
• 2006 - " Zhikharka " - the Ural fairy tale from the series "Mountain of gems"; The fox is a negative character.
• 2007 - “ Max and his company ”
• 2007 - The Tricky Jack
• 2009 - “ Peerless Mr. Fox ”: Mr. Fox, Mrs. Fox, their son, and nephew
• 2009 - The Adventures of the Fox - an Evenki fairy tale from the series Gem Mountain.
• 2010 — « Проделки лиса » — хантская сказка из сериала «Гора самоцветов».
• 2016 — « Зверополис » студии Дисней : лис Ник Уайлд.

Cinema

• 1975 — « Приключения Буратино »: экранизация сказки Алексея Толстого
• 1984 — « Рыжий честный влюблённый »: по мотивам сказки Яна Экхольма
• 2005 — « Хроники Нарнии: Лев, колдунья и волшебный шкаф » — мистер Лис
• 2006 — «Лисичка Хэлен»
• 2007 — « Девочка и лисёнок »

Music

• 1923 — « Приключения лисички-плутовки » ( чеш. Příhody lišky bystroušky ): опера Леоша Яначека о жизни лисы Остроушки.
• Лисицам посвящён один из хитов комедийного норвежского дуэта Ylvis — « The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) ».

Anime

• « Наруто »: девятихвостый лис-бидзю Курама, находящийся в теле Наруто.
• « Sonic OVA » и « Sonic X »: двухвостый лисёнок Майлз «Тейлз» Прауэр
• « Инари в нашем доме » ( Wagaya no Oinari-sama (англ.) )
• « Волчица и пряности », где волчица Хоро появляется среди людей в образе, крайне похожим не на волчицу, а на лисицу. Сходство с лисой подчёркивают хвост, уши, хитрый характер и поведение героини.
• « Девочка-лисичка »
• « Очень приятно, Бог »
• « Инуяша »
• « Внук Нурарихёна »
• « Gugure! Kokkuri-san »
• « Девушка-демон Закуро »
• « Inukami!» лайт-новеллы и аниме, повествующие о т. н. Инугами , но там присутствует и Кицунэ
• " Inu × Boku SS ".

Компьютерные и видеоигры

• Серия « Sonic the Hedgehog »: двухвостый лисёнок Майлз «Тейлз» Прауэр
• « Inherit the Earth: Quest for the Orb »: главный герой Риф и его подруга Рин
• « Titus the Fox »: лисёнок Титус
• Серия « Star Fox »: Фокс МакКлауд , Джеймс МакКлауд , Кристал
• « Brutal: Paws of Fury »: лисица Фокси Рокси
• « Perfect World »: девушка-лиса Друид
• « Prime World »: Огненная лиса (Рыжий хвост)
• « »: Ara
• Серия « Five Nights at Freddy's »: лис- аниматроник Фокси
• « League of Legends » — Ари (Ahri) , девятихвостая лисица в человеческом обличии
• « »: главный герой лис Рейнардо (Reynardo)

Веб-комиксы

• « Ozy and Millie »: главные герои — лисята Ози и Милли
• «Лисички против котиков»: борьба лисичек с кошками за популярность в интернете

В геральдике лисица — символ проницательности, хитрости, прозорливости.

• Бросание лисицы

• «Жизнь Животных», т.7; Москва, «Просвещение», 1989.
• «Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia», 2nd Edition, Vol. 14, 2003.
• В долинах Рингваака [Рыжий Лис]

Инбали изерлес-foxcraft (серия книг) Гарри килворт-лунный зверь

• Позвоночные животные России: Лисица обыкновенная
• Петров В. В. Обыкновенная лисица (piterhunt.ru)
• Vulpes vulpes = Обыкновенная лисица (www.zooeco.com)

К разделу «Одомашнивание»

• Статья об эксперименте по одомашниванию (англ.)
• Fox Domestication (англ.)
• Поведение лисы дома