The comprehensive guide to the 12 fox species
The fox is a cunning creature that has been around for centuries. They are known to be clever, but they’re actually quite intelligent, social creatures that can be found all over the world, and have learned how to survive in a wide range of environments. In this article, we will explore the 12 different species of foxes ranging from the red fox to the fennec fox. We will talk about their natural habitats, behaviors, and more!
Let’s look at these fox species.
Fennec Fox
The fennec fox is the smallest of all canines living in North Africa and the Sahara Desert. These creatures are nocturnal, meaning they spend most of their time sleeping during daylight hours to avoid predators and when hunting prey at night. Fennec foxes eat insects like crickets as well as small mammals such as mice, rats, and young rabbits.
Blanford’s Fox
The Blanford’s fox is a small, solitary species that live in arid desert regions of Central Asia. These animals are nighttime creatures and use their sharp hearing to locate prey while they hunt at night. While these creatures have been observed sitting on the sand near dens during the daytime hours, it is not known why they do this, but it could be a way to keep the den cool.
Corsac Fox
The Corsac fox is the largest of all species that have been classified as “true” (or small) red foxes. These animals can be found in Europe, Asia Minor, and Central Asia. They are nocturnal hunters, meaning they hunt at night and sleep during the day. These foxes feed on small mammals like mice, rats, young rabbits as well as birds such as chicken eggs and ground-nesting goose eggs when available.
Swift Fox
Swift foxes are a small, North American species that live in the arid plains and prairies of the Great Plains. These creatures are only active during twilight hours when temperatures cool down so they can forage for food. The swift fox is an omnivore which means it has both carnivorous (like eating mice) as well as herbivorous (like eating berries) behaviors.
Rüppell’s Fox
Rüppell’s Fox is found in pieces of the Middle East, North Africa, and southwestern Asia. Inside its reach, the species is found in sandy or rough deserts, steppes, or scrublands. The Rüppell’s is a nighttime or crepuscular creature with an omnivorous eating routine. It goes after creepy crawlies, birds, little well evolved creatures, and reptiles.
Red Fox
The red fox is one of the most well-known and widespread species in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa. Red Foxes go for nighttime hunting with a big diet that’s omnivorous as it includes creepy crawlies like crickets or beetles to small mammals such as rats and young rabbits all along with these humans.
Arctic Fox
The Arctic fox is a small creature that spends most of its time living in the frozen tundra. These animals are nocturnal, and they use their hearing to locate prey while hunting at night. They have an omnivorous diet which includes insects like crickets, rodents such as mice, rats, or voles along with eggs of birds such as chickens or ground-nesting geese.
Pale Fox
The Pale Fox is a small canid found in Southern Africa. These creatures are not known to be very social, and they spend most of their time alone during the day as well as at night hunting for prey like birds, reptiles, and rodents. Because they are nocturnal, it is hard to see these creatures in the daytime.
Cape Fox
Otherwise called the silver-supported or cama fox, the Cape Fox happens in the open country territories of Southern Africa with critical populaces in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. The fox has a dark-tipped tail and a silver dim hide with yellow sides and ventral parts. An enormous number of these creatures are killed in inadvertent street kills, infections, and abuse by people.
Tibetan Sand Fox
The Tibetan Sand Fox is found in the high-altitude grasslands of Tibet. They feed on small animals such as rodents, and insects. The Tibetan sand fox is one of the rarest canids in the world with an estimated population size of between 2500-3500 individuals. This species has a long history of persecution for its fur which led to near extinction during the 20th century.
Kit Fox
The Kit Fox is often found in the Sonoran Desert. The Kit Fox has a wide distribution and is known to live in the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, southern Canada. They are one of the smallest members of the Carnivora order; it weighs about six pounds on average. Its fur varies from slate gray with brown undertones to tan or yellowish-orange at the top.
Bengal Fox
The Bengal fox is also known as the Indian, Murree, or Central Asian red fox. It was first described by Robert Kerr in 1827 and lives primarily on the high plateaus of Asia. This species has a variety of colors that are determined by genetic variations including black-and-white patterns to reddish-orange coats with gray limbs and a white ring around the neck.
The Bottom Line
We bet that you didn’t completely knew about the twelve species of fox. Go through the guide for some precise knowledge.