fox
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(fŏks) 
n., pl., fox·es, also fox.
v., foxed, fox·ing, fox·es. v.tr.
n., pl., fox·es, also fox.
- Any of various carnivorous mammals of the genus Vulpes and related genera, related to the dogs and wolves and characteristically having upright ears, a pointed snout, and a long bushy tail.
- The fur of one of these mammals.
- A crafty, sly, or clever person.
- Slang. A sexually attractive person.
- Nautical. Small cordage made by twisting together two or more strands of tarred yarn.
- Archaic. A sword.
v., foxed, fox·ing, fox·es. v.tr.
- To trick or fool by ingenuity or cunning; outwit.
- To baffle or confuse.
- To make (beer) sour by fermenting.
- To repair (a shoe) by attaching a new upper.
- Obsolete. To intoxicate.
- To act slyly or craftily.
- To turn sour in fermenting. Used of beer.
[Middle English, from Old English.]
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Any of various canines resembling small to medium-sized, bushy-tailed dogs. Foxes have long fur, pointed ears, relatively short legs, and a narrow snout. They have often been hunted for sport or fur. In a more restricted sense, the name refers to about 10 species of true foxes (genus Vulpes), especially both the Old and New World red foxes. Arctic fox, bat-eared fox, fennec, gray fox.
For more information on fox, visit Britannica.com.
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fox, carnivorous mammal of the dog family, found throughout most of the Northern Hemisphere. It has a pointed face, short legs, long, thick fur, and a tail about one half to two thirds as long as the head and body, depending on the species. Solitary most of the year, foxes do not live in dens except in the breeding season; they sleep concealed in grasses or thickets, their tails curled around them for warmth. During the breeding season a fox pair establishes a den, often in a ground burrow made by another animal, in which the young are raised; the male hunts for the family. The young are on their own after about five months; the adults probably find new mates each season.
Foxes feed on insects, earthworms, small birds and mammals, eggs, carrion, and vegetable matter, especially fruits. Unlike other members of the dog family, which run down their prey, foxes usually hunt by stalking and pouncing. They are known for their raids on poultry but are nonetheless very beneficial to farmers as destroyers of rodents.
Foxes are occasionally preyed upon by larger carnivores, such as wolves and bobcats, as well as by humans and their dogs; birds of prey may capture the young. Despite extensive killing of foxes, most species continue to flourish. In Europe this is due in part to the regulatory laws passed for the benefit of hunters. Mounted foxhunting, with dogs, became popular in the 14th cent. and was later introduced into the Americas; special hunting dogs, called foxhounds, have been bred for this sport. Great Britain banned foxhunting in which the hounds kill the fox in 2005.
Types of Foxes
Most fox species belong to the red fox group, genus Vulpes. The common red fox, Vulpes vulpes, is found in Eurasia, N Africa, and North America. It is hunted for its valuable fur and, especially in England, for sport. An extremely wary animal, it is skilled at evading traps and dodging pursuers. There are many local varieties; European red foxes are larger than those of North America, which average about 23 in. (58 cm) in body length, stand about 16 in. (41 cm) at the shoulder, and weigh about 5 to 10 lb (2.3-4.6 kg). North American red foxes inhabit areas of forest mixed with open country, from the Arctic Ocean to the S United States. Although most active at night, they are also seen by day. Coat color varies, but the tail is always tipped with white, and the legs, feet, and tips of the ears are always black. The rest of the coat is commonly reddish; black, silver, and cross (reddish, with a dark, cross-shaped region on back and shoulders) are among variations that may appear in any red fox litter. Silver fox pelts, black with white-tipped outer hairs, are much in demand; many are derived from animals raised on fox farms. From the silver fox, breeders have developed a platinum fox, whose pale gray pelt is highly valued, and (in Siberia) a tame, domesticated breed.
The kit and swift foxes (V. velox and V. macrotis, respectively) are small, swift, pale gray or yellowish foxes, found on the deserts and plains of the W United States and N Mexico. Their numbers have been greatly diminished by trapping and poisoning, and they are now rare in many parts of their range. Other Vulpes species are found in Asia and Africa.
The gray fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus, is a New World species; it is the only fox that sometimes climbs trees. Found from the N United States to N South America, this fox is slightly larger, on the average, than the North American red fox. Its coat is salt-and-pepper above and buff-colored below; the upper side of its tail is black. Gray foxes inhabit woods, swamps, and brushy areas that afford them cover; they are more retiring and more strictly nocturnal in their habits than red foxes. Their fur is of little value.
The arctic fox, Alopex lagopus, is found on arctic coasts and islands; it has a circumpolar distribution. Characterized by short, rounded ears and heavily furred feet, all arctic foxes are brown to gray in summer; some turn pure white in winter, while others, called blue foxes, turn bluish gray. The blue fox, a natural variant that is more common in some areas than in others, is highly valued for its pelt, and breeders have developed all-blue strains. Although their diet includes small animals and plant matter, arctic foxes are chiefly scavengers, feeding especially on the remains of polar bears' kills.
The smallest fox is the fennec, or desert fox (Fennecus zerda), of the Sahara and Arabian deserts. An excellent burrower, it has enormous ears and a fluffy pale cream coat. Other foxes (sometimes called zorros) are found in South America.
Classification
Foxes are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora, family Canidae.
Bibliography
See H. G. Lloyd, The Red Fox (1980); J. D. Henry, Red Fox: The Catlike Canine (1986).
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n. an attractive girl or young woman. Man, who was that fox I saw you with?
Word Tutor:
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fox
IN BRIEF: A wild animal of the dog family, with pointed ears, a bushy tail, and reddish-brown fur.
Fox hunts in England are controversial.
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noun
noun, US
An attractive young woman. (1963 —) .
L. Hairston Daddy, she was a real fox! (1964). So foxy,adjective US Of a woman: sexually attractive. (1913 —) .
Easyriders W/f [white female]...21 years old and foxy, would like to hear from a gorgeous man with a terrific body (1983). See also crazy like a fox at crazyadjective .
noun, US
An attractive young woman. (1963 —) .
L. Hairston Daddy, she was a real fox! (1964). So foxy,
Easyriders W/f [white female]...21 years old and foxy, would like to hear from a gorgeous man with a terrific body (1983). See also crazy like a fox at crazy
| fowl, fourpenny one, fourpenny dark | |
| fracture, frag, fraid cat |
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A member of the same family as dogs, wolves and jackals, the family Canidae, but has characteristic long body and short legs, pointed snout, big, erect ears, oval pupils and long bushy tail. The type species is the Old World red fox (Vulpes vulpes). See also kit, fennec.
- arctic f. — a farmed blue or white fox. Called also Alopex lagopus.
- f. encephalitis — see infectious canine hepatitis.
- gray f. — gray to black, omnivorous wild fox. Called also Urocyon cinereoargenteus.
- kit f. — small, yellow-brown fox similar to the red fox. Called also Vulpes velox, V. inacrotis.
- Old World red f. — see red fox (below).
- f. rabies — the fox is an important reservoir host for rabies, particularly in eastern and western Europe where it is endemic.
- red f. — the common, sandy to red brown fox with black legs and backs of ears, white underparts, sharp muzzle, large erect ears. Mostly nocturnal, lives in burrows. Called also Vulpes vulpes, Old World red fox.
- silver f. — a farmed fox with a lustrous black coat with white tips along the back; a variant of the red fox (see above).
- South American f. — a group of specialized wild dogs, not true foxes, of South America. Includes crab-eating fox and maned wolf.
Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'fox'
- Carnivores
- Furs, Leathers, and Pelts - fox: fox fur
- Behavior or Personality
- Sexuality or Gender
- Affectionate Reference
- Sexuality and Libido - fox: Slang. extremely sexually attractive young female or male
- Strategy and Tactics - fox: (vb) trick or outwit by cunning
- Brown
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"Vixen" redirects here. For other uses, see Vixen (disambiguation).
For other uses, see Fox (disambiguation).
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2007) |
| Foxes | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Canidae |
| Tribe: | Vulpini |
| Genera | |
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids (slightly smaller than the medium-sized domestic dog), characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail (or brush).
Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to the Vulpes genus of "true foxes". By far the most common and widespread species of fox is the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), although various species are found on almost every continent. The presence of fox-like carnivores all over the globe, together with their widespread reputation for cunning, has contributed to their appearance in popular culture and folklore in many societies around the world (see also Foxes in culture).
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Contents
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Etymology
The Modern English word "fox" is Old English, and comes from the Proto-Germanic word fukh – compare German Fuchs, Gothic fauho, Old Norse foa and Dutch vos. It corresponds to the Proto-Indo-European word puk- meaning "tail of it" (compare Sanskrit puccha, also "tail"). The bushy tail is also the source of the word for fox in Welsh: llwynog, from llwyn, "bush, grove".[1] Lithuanian: uodegis, from uodega, "tail", Portuguese: raposa, from rabo, "tail"[2] and Ojibwa: waagosh, from waa, which refers to the up and down "bounce" or flickering of an animal or its tail.[3] Male foxes are known as dogs or reynards, females as vixens, and young as kits, pups or cubs. A group of foxes is a "skulk", "troop" or "earth".
General characteristics
In the wild, foxes can live for up to 10 years, but most foxes only live for 2 to 3 years due to hunting, road accidents and diseases. Foxes are generally smaller than other members of the family Canidae such as wolves, jackals, and domestic dogs. Reynards (male foxes) weigh, on average, around 5.9 kilograms (13 lb) and vixens (female foxes) weigh less, at around 5.2 kilograms (11.5 lb).[4] Fox-like features typically include a distinctive muzzle (a "fox face") and bushy tail. Other physical characteristics vary according to habitat. For example, the fennec fox (and other species of fox adapted to life in the desert, such as the kit fox) has large ears and short fur, whereas the Arctic fox has tiny ears and thick, insulating fur. Another example is the red fox which has a typical auburn pelt, the tail normally ending with white marking. Litter sizes can vary greatly according to species and environment – the Arctic fox, for example, has an average litter of four to five, with eleven as maximum.[5]
Unlike many canids, foxes are not always pack animals. Typically, they live in small family groups, and are opportunistic feeders that hunt live prey (especially rodents). Using a pouncing technique practiced from an early age, they are usually able to kill their prey quickly. Foxes also gather a wide variety of other foods ranging from grasshoppers to fruit and berries. The gray fox is one of only two canine species known to climb trees; the other is the raccoon dog.
Foxes are normally extremely wary of humans and are not usually kept as indoor pets; however, the silver fox was successfully domesticated in Russia after a 45-year selective breeding program. This selective breeding also 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.[6]
Classification
Canids commonly known as foxes include members of the following genera:
- Alopex: Arctic fox, although the definitive mammal taxonomy list as well as genetic evidence places it in Vulpes, and not as a genus unto itself.
- Canis: The Ethiopian Wolf, also called, variously, Semien fox or Semien jackal (though recently renamed to reflect its biological affinity with the gray wolf).
- Cerdocyon: Crab-eating fox.
- Chrysocyon: Maned wolf (in English), aguara guazú ("big fox" in Guarani) and zorro rojizo ("reddish fox," one of several names used by Spanish speakers).
- Dusicyon: Falkland Islands fox.
- Lycalopex: Six South American species.
- Otocyon: Bat-eared fox.
- Urocyon: Gray fox, island fox and Cozumel fox.
- Vulpes: Including 12 species of true foxes, including the red fox, V. vulpes, Tibetan Sand Fox, Vulpes ferrilata and their closest kin.
Diet
Foxes are omnivores.[7][8] The diet of foxes is largely made up of invertebrates and other small mammals, reptiles, (such as snakes), amphibians, scorpions, grasses, berries, fruit, fish, birds, eggs, dung beetles, insects and all other kinds of small animals. Many species are generalist predators, but some (such as the crab-eating fox) are more specialist. Most species of fox generally consume around 1 kg of food every day. Foxes cache excess food, burying it for later consumption, usually under leaves, snow, or soil.
Conservation
Foxes are readily found in cities and cultivated areas and (depending upon species) seem to adapt reasonably well to human presence.
Red foxes have been introduced into Australia which lacks similar carnivores other than the dingo, and the introduced foxes prey on native wildlife, some to the point of extinction.
Other fox species do not reproduce as readily as the red fox, and are endangered in their native environments. Key among these are the crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) and the African bat-eared fox. Other foxes such as fennec foxes, are not endangered.
Foxes have been successfully employed to control pests on fruit farms while leaving the fruit intact.[9]
Relationships with humans
Fox attacks on humans are not common but have been reported. In November 2008, an incident in the United States was reported in which a jogger was attacked and bitten on the foot and arm by a rabid fox in Arizona.[10] In July 2002, a 14-week-old baby was attacked in a house in Dartford, Kent, United Kingdom.[11] In June 2010, 9-month-old twin girls were bitten on the arms and face when a fox entered their upstairs room in east London. [12]
Fox hunting
Main article: Fox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity that originated in the United Kingdom in the 16th century. Hunting with dogs is now banned in the United Kingdom,[13][14][15][16] though hunting without dogs is still permitted. It is practiced as recreation in several other countries including Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Russia and the United States.
Domestication
Main article: Domesticated silver fox
The Russian silver fox, or domesticated silver fox, is the result of nearly fifty years of experiments in the Soviet Union and Russia to domesticate the silver morph of the red fox. Notably, the new foxes became more tame,allowing themselves to be petted, whimpering to get attention and sniffing and licking their caretakers.[17] They also became more dog-like as well: they lost their distinctive musky "fox smell", became more friendly with humans, put their ears down (like dogs), wagged their tails when happy and began to vocalize and bark like domesticated dogs. They also began to exhibit other traits seen in some dog breeds, such as color pattern, curled tails, floppy ears, and shorter legs and tails. [17] They are also more likely to have piebald coats. The breeding project was set up by the Soviet scientist Dmitri K. Belyaev.
In culture
Main article: Foxes in culture
In many cultures, the fox appears in folklore as a symbol of cunning and trickery, or as a familiar animal possessed of magic powers.
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 now-famous Lotka-Volterra equation.
References
- ^ Jones, D.M. (1953). "Etymological Notes". Transactions of the Philological Society 52: 43–51. doi:10.1111/j.1467-968X.1953.tb00269.x.
- ^ "Fox". The Online Etymology Dictionary. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=fox. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
- ^ "Introduction to Ojibwe Language". Real-dream-catchers.com. http://www.real-dream-catchers.com/Ojibwe_culture_and_language/introduction_to_ojibwe_language.htm. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
- ^ Walker, Matt; Davies, Ella (7 March 2012). "Are red foxes getting bigger?" BBC News Online. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
- ^ Hildebrand, Milton (1952). "The Integument in Canidae". Journal of Mammalogy 33 (4): 419–428. doi:10.2307/1376014. JSTOR 1376014.
- ^ Trut, Lyudmila N. (1999). "Early Canid Domestication: The Fox Farm Experiment". American Scientist 87. http://www.floridalupine.org/publications/PDF/trut-fox-study.pdf.
- ^ Fedriani, J.M.; T.K. Fuller, R.M. Sauvajot, E.C. York (2000-07-05). "Competition and intraguild predation among three sympatric carnivores". Oecologia 125 (2): 258–270. doi:10.1007/s004420000448. http://www.ebd.csic.es/cani/public_html/Oecologia_00.pdf.
- ^ Fox, David L. (2007). "Vulpes vulpes (red fox)". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Vulpes_vulpes.html.
- ^ McCandless, Linda Foxes are Beneficial on Fruit Farms. nysaes.cornell.edu (1997-04-24)
- ^ "Attacked jogger takes fox for run". BBC News Online. 2008-11-06. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7712306.stm.
- ^ "Baby 'attacked by fox'". BBC News Online. 2002-07-01. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2078419.stm.
- ^ "Twin girls injured in suspected fox attack". BBC News Online. 2010-06-06. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/10251349.stm.
- ^ "Hunt campaigners lose legal bid". BBC News Online. 2006-06-23. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5109184.stm.
- ^ Singh, Anita (2009-09-18). "David Cameron 'to vote against fox hunting ban'". The Daily Telegraph. London. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/epic/htg/6203266/David-Cameron-to-vote-against-fox-hunting-ban.html. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
- ^ Fox Hunting. North West League Against Cruel Sports Support Group. nwlacs.co.uk
- ^ "Fox Hunting: For and Against". http://www.emteconline.co.uk/rliteracy/rpersuade/foxhunt.pdf.
- ^ a b 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.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fox |
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Look up fox in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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- BBC Wales Nature: Fox videos
- BBC Wild About Nature: Fox facts and videos
- The fox website
- More fox sound files
- Australian Department of the Environment and Heritage fact sheet, 2004
Texts on Wikisource:
- "Fox". The American Cyclopædia. 1879.
- "Fox". Encyclopaedia Britannica. 9 (9th ed.). 1879.
- "Fox". New International Encyclopedia. 1905.
- "Fox". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.
- Beach, Chandler B., ed. (1914). "Fox". The New Student's Reference Work. Chicago: F. E. Compton and Co.. Wikisource
- "Fox". Encyclopedia Americana. 1920.
- "Fox". Collier's New Encyclopedia. 1921.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
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Fox
Dansk (Danish)
n. - ræv, rævepels, sexet pige
v. tr. - simulere, drikke fuld, forbløffe
v. intr. - sove rævesøvn, blive fugtplettet
idioms:
- fox hunt rævejagt
- fox terrier foxterrier
Nederlands (Dutch)
vos, vacht van een vos, sluwaard, lid van bepaalde Indiaanse stam, knappe man/vrouw, iemand te slim af zijn, met bruinige vlekjes bedekken (schimmel etc.)
Français (French)
n. - renard, (fig) renard, (US) canon (femme attirante)
v. tr. - dérouter, (GB) désarçonner, tâcher de roux (les feuilles d'un livre), maculer (une gravure)
v. intr. - dérouter, agir par la ruse, se tacheter de roux
idioms:
- fox hunt chasser le renard
- fox terrier fox-terrier
Deutsch (German)
n. - Fuchs
v. - verwirren, hereinlegen, fleckig machen, fleckig werden
idioms:
- fox hunt Fuchsjagd
- fox terrier Foxterrier
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ζωολ.) αλεπού
v. - εξαπατώ, ξεγελώ
idioms:
- fox hunt κυνηγώ αλεπούδες
- fox terrier φόξ-τεριέ
idioms:
- fox terrier fox terrier
Português (Portuguese)
n. - raposa (f), pele (f) de raposa
v. - confundir
idioms:
- fox terrier raça (f) de cachorro
Русский (Russian)
лиса, лисий мех, хитрец, обманывать, сбивать с толку
idioms:
- fox terrier фокстерьер
Español (Spanish)
n. - zorro
v. tr. - confundir, dejar perplejo
v. intr. - disimular, fingir, ponerse rojizo
idioms:
- fox hunt caza de zorros
- fox terrier perro fox térrier
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - räv, rävskinn, filur (bildl.), pangbrud (amer. sl.)
v. - lura, fläcka, simulera, gulna
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
狐狸, 狡猾的人, 使变酸, 使生黄斑, 奸狡地行动, 变酸
idioms:
- fox hunt 猎狐
- fox terrier 猎狐小狗
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 狐狸, 狡猾的人
v. tr. - 使變酸, 使生黃斑
v. intr. - 奸狡地行動, 變酸
idioms:
- fox hunt 獵狐
- fox terrier 獵狐小狗
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 여우, 매력적인
v. tr. - 여우 빛깔로 변하다, 맛이 변하다
v. intr. - 교활한 짓을 하다, 얼룩지다
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - キツネ, 雄ギツネ, キツネの毛皮, ずる賢い人
v. - だます, ふりをする, ずるいことをする, 当惑させる
idioms:
- fox terrier フォックステリア
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) ثعلب , ماكر (فعل) يخدع , يمكر
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - שועל, אדם ערמומי, צעיר או צעירה מושכים (מדוברת, צ. אמריקה), שבט ילידים צפון-אמריקני
v. tr. - בלבל, הביך, רימה
v. intr. - התחזה, התנהג בערמומיות, הוכתם בכתמים חומים (דף בספר)
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