Vulpes
Vulpes Temporal range: Late Miocene - Present
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Various true foxes: left to right, then top to bottom: red fox, Rüppell's fox, corsac fox, Bengal fox, Arctic fox, Blanford's fox, Cape fox, and fennec fox | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Family: | Canidae |
Subfamily: | Caninae |
Tribe: | Vulpini |
Genus: | Vulpes Garsault, 1764[1] |
Type species | |
Canis vulpes[2] | |
Species | |
Synonyms | |
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Vulpes is a
Extant species
Within Vulpes, 12 separate extant species and four fossil species are described:
Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution | Distribution map |
---|---|---|---|---|
V. bengalensis | Bengal fox | Bengal foxes are endemic to the Indian subcontinent.[4] |
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V. cana | Blanford's fox | Blanford's fox is native to the Middle East, including Iran, Israel, Afghanistan, Egypt, and Pakistan. This species prefers semiarid environments.[5] | ||
V. chama | Cape fox | The Cape fox is only found in arid environments with rich grasslands . |
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V. corsac | Corsac fox | Corsac foxes live in Central Asia. Like V. chama and V. cana, their natural habitat is semiarid deserts. | ||
V. ferrilata | Tibetan sand fox |
The Tibetan sand fox, as the name suggests, is endemic to the Tibetan and Ladakh plateau in Nepal, China, India, and Bhutan. This species lives at altitudes up to 5300 m.[6] | ||
V. lagopus | Arctic fox | Arctic foxes inhabit all of the Arctic Circle (Russia, Svalbard, Iceland, Fennoscandia, Greenland, Northern Canada, and Alaska). | ||
V. macrotis | Kit fox | Kit foxes are an arid area-dwelling North American species. They are found in Oregon, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, California, New Mexico, and Texas in the United States, as well as in Mexico. | ||
V. pallida | Pale fox | The pale fox lives in the Sahel region in Africa, and is an arid area-dwelling species.[7] | ||
V. rueppellii | Rüppell's fox | Ruppell's foxes are found in North Africa and parts of the Middle East.[8] | ||
V. velox | Swift fox | The swift fox is found in the western grasslands of North America, specifically Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, as well as the Canadian Prairies. | ||
V. vulpes | Red fox | The red fox is the most abundant and most widely distributed species of Vulpes, occurring throughout the Northern Hemisphere (North America, Asia, and Europe). They also are present in Australia, though they were brought there by humans for fox hunting in the 1830s, and are considered an invasive species. | ||
V. zerda | Fennec fox | The fennec fox lives in North Africa and the Sinai Peninsula. |
Early history
The oldest known
Two other extinct, less documented fossils are known: V. praeglacialis and V. hassani. V. praeglacialis was discovered in the Petralona Cave in
In the Pleistocene, Vulpes had a fairly wide distribution, with eight species found in North America. Of these eight, six are not fossil, and three species still remain in North America (V. velox, V. macrotis, and V. vulpes). The remaining three moved on to sections of Africa over time. V. stenognathus[12] is extinct, but has extant sister taxa including V. chama, V. rueppellii, V. velox, and V. vulpes, which fits with these species all evolving together in North America.[citation needed]
Fossil species
- †Vulpes hassani
- †Vulpes praeglacialis - Kormos (found in Petralona Cave, Greece)
- †Vulpes qiuzhudingi (2014)
- †Vulpes riffautae - Late Miocene
- †Vulpes rooki[13]
- †Vulpes skinneri
- †Vulpes stenognathus
Description
True foxes are small to medium-sized animals, usually smaller than other canines, such as
Vulpes species have vertically slit pupils, which generally appear elliptical in strong light like those of
In general, Vulpes has a bone structure very close to that of its canid relatives, but there are some variations. For example, although canid limbs are designed specifically for running quickly on land to catch prey, Vulpes species avoid rapid sprints, excluding when being chased, and have become more specialized for leaping and grasping prey. In Vulpes vulpes, for example, the adaptions for leaping, grasping, and climbing include the lengthening of hind limbs in relation to fore limbs, as well as overall slenderizing of both hind and fore limbs. Muscles are also emphasized along the axis of limbs.[20]
The length, color and density of the fur of fox species differ.
Distribution and habitat
The range of the genus is very wide, present in a wide variety of habitats, from the desert to the Arctic, and from high altitudes in the mountains to open plains. True foxes are opportunistic and thrive anywhere they can find food and shelter. They are also widespread in suburban and urban areas, where they can take advantage of human food supplies; however, they prefer to stay away from large industrial areas.[25] In certain areas, foxes tend to do better where humans are present, including in many agricultural landscapes,[26] forests and patchy woodlands.
Behavior and ecology
Most true foxes are nocturnal, but they can be active during the morning and dusk and occasionally hunt and scavenge in daylight during winter. Many fox species are solitary or nomadic, living most of their lives on their own, except for the mating season, when they have a monogamous relationship with a partner. Some live in small family groups, others are more
Vulpes have a high variation in social organization between species and populations. Their
Diet
This genus is omnivorous and prone to scavenging. The foods of choice for Vulpes consist of
Predators
Adult foxes have very few
Reproduction
Most true foxes are monogamous. However, they can form polyandrous and polygynous pairs.[32] Breeding season varies between species and habitat, but they generally breed between late December and late March.[19] Most foxes dig out dens to provide a safe underground space for raising their young.[33] Born deaf and blind, kits or cubs require their mother's milk and complete supervision for the first four to five weeks out of the womb, but begin to be progressively weaned after the first month. Once fully weaned, kits seek out various insects. The parents supplement this diet with a variety of mammals and birds. During early to middle July, the kits are able to hunt on their own and soon move away from their parents.[34]
Relationship with humans
Domestication
The silver fox is a melanistic form of the wild red fox. Though rare, domestication has been documented in silver foxes. The most notable experiment was conducted in Novosibirsk, Russia, at the Siberian Institute of Cytology and Genetics.[35] In this study, generations of silver foxes were divided into those with friendly traits and those with unfriendly traits.[36] After 50 years, the friendly foxes developed “dog-like” domesticated traits such as spots, tail wagging, enjoyment of human touch, and barking.[37]
Fox hunting
Fox hunting was started in the United Kingdom in the 16th century that involves tracking, chasing, and killing a fox with the aid of foxhounds and horses. It has since then spread to Europe, the United States, and Australia.[38]
Vulpes in culture and literature
References
- ^ "Red Fox Taxonomy". www.wildlifeonline.me.uk. Wildlife Online. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
- OCLC 62265494.
- ^ ISBN 0-87196-871-1.
- ^ Vanak, A.T. (2005). "Distribution and status of the Indian fox Vulpes bengalensis in southern India".Canid News 8 (1).
- ^ "Blanford's fox". Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife. 29 August 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
- ^ Schaller, G.B., Ginsberg, J.R. & Harris, R. (2008). Vulpes ferrilata. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
- ^ “Vulpes pallida” "Vulpes pallida". Archived from the original on 2011-10-28. Retrieved 2011-10-24.. Canid Specialist Group
- ^ Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press.
- ^ S2CID 6073654.
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- JSTOR 3504236.
- ISBN 978-0-7614-2237-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8018-8032-2.
- ^ a b Geptner, V. G.; Nasimovich, A. A.; Bannikov, Andreĭ Grigorʹevich; Hoffmann, Robert S. (1988). Mammals of the Soviet Union. Smithsonian Institution Libraries.
- ^ "Red Fox Senses". www.wildlifeonline.me.uk. Wildlife Online. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d Hubbard, Tru. "Vulpes (foxes)". Animal Diversity Web.
- ^ Feeney, Susan (1999). Comparative osteology, myology, and locomotor specializations of the fore and hind limbs of the North American foxes Vulpes vulpes and Urocyon cinereoargenteus (Doctoral Dissertation thesis).
- ISBN 9780715342176.
- ^ "Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus)". ARKive. Wildscreen. 2003–2011. Archived from the original on 2011-02-21. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-2-8317-0786-0.
- ISBN 978-0-395-91098-6.
- S2CID 90512617.
- ^ "History and biology". Feral Scan/Fox Scan. Archived from the original on 2014-03-12. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
- ISBN 9780565007232.
- ^ .
- PMID 31882945.
- .
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- ^ Emily Osterloff. "The secret life of urban foxes". www.nhm.ac.uk.
- ^ Harris, Steven (2010). "Understand fox behavior". Retrieved 2014-03-23.
- .
- PMID 18030612.
- PMID 31810775.
- ^ "Fox hunting worldwide". BBC News. 1999-09-16. Retrieved 2014-03-29