The dogs wanted. Escape seems impossible. But in an instant, successive streams flow over an old protocol that has fallen into a single stream. Halfway there, he notices a small island and jumps on it. Will the next jump reach the other end of the stream? Surprisingly, it returns to the shore it just left and flies in the opposite direction. Dogs will appear soon. Exactly in the middle of the disc follows the smell of the future victim. There he disappears, but they pass to the other side of the stream. Yes, the pursuers were completely destroyed.
In the current episode, the cunning fugitive was a fox. But how cute are foxes? What does he really like?
Some facts about the fox
"Canine" is a good word for the fox. It is a carnivorous mammal of the canidae family, like the dog. In fact, most foxes look like small dogs with pointy ears and a long mouth.
And the color? Well, there are many variations between foxes. Red foxes are abundant in most of Europe, Asia, and northern North America. They are usually orange-red or rusty red in color and have a white belly, black fur on the paws, and a thick tail with a white tip. But other red foxes have black fur with white tips and are called silver foxes. Those with black charcoal are known as black foxes. Other red foxes are called cross foxes because, although rusty, they have fur that forms a black cross over their shoulders and down their spine.
The Gray Reef stretches from southern Canada to southern North America. The hair on the back is composed of salt and pepper, although the underside is whitish and the sides of the shoulders, neck and legs and the underside of the tail. You are rusty. In fact, only this fox climbs trees, a great way to get away from a dog!
Arctic foxes are of a different type. As the name suggests, they live in arctic regions. Her gray-brown summer coat transforms into Snow White in winter, a fantastic mix of ice and snow. This clever little fox wears his warm white coat in September. Let the temperature drop to -59 degrees Celsius! This creature does not care, perhaps curled up in the snow, with its nose in the fur of its tail, which acts as "a kind of homemade heat radiator".
The gray-yellow comet fox of western North America gets its name from the fact that it resembles a kitten. But this agile animal makes up for its poor handling and speed. If needed, it picks up speed and can instantly change direction without slowing down, leaving the stalker confused in the dust.
The smaller fox, however, is a fennec that lives in Arabia and North Africa. These creatures don't just look like "cute" puppies; When they are crazy they complain and make them look even more like children. The Fennecs spend a lot of time in underground holes to escape the heat of the sun and the cold of the night. The relatively large surface area of their 10cm long ears promotes loss of body heat, which prevents fungi from overheating in their desert habitat.
Speaking of ears, let's not forget the fox with the flat ears. This fox roams the arid regions of South and East Africa. Interestingly, in addition to large, sensitive ears, he has forty-six to forty-eight teeth, more than other dogs.
Rooms and meals
For the red fox, the house may be a small hole in an empty forest or between rocks. A wooden spit or yew is also sufficient here. Otherwise, the fox can dig its own house underground. After mating, Mr. and Mrs. Fox, who can become lifelong partners, settle down to raise a family. The fox or fox gives birth to four to nine cubs each year.
Young people cannot "outsmart" their mothers. Alan Devoe wrote: “Three foxes played while their mother happily watched them since they entered. Suddenly one of the young men was trotting on the lawn. Vixen stood up and "pointed" his sharp nose at him - and remained calm and still. He didn't make any sound that I could hear where he was hiding, but within seconds the boy started to slow down. He turned and looked directly at his mother. I look for. As if drawn by an invisible thread, the little fox ran home.
With many foxes, when the young are of hunting age, father, mother and offspring start sleeping outside most of the time. Foxes are solitary and nocturnal hunters. And they are cracked. For example, the red fox knows enough to glide a few feet off a bird before jumping on it.
The price of the fox includes mice and other rodents, birds, insects, frogs, lizards and others. They also eat fruit. Foxes do not hesitate to eat an animal that they find dead. In fact, if a fox has eaten a creature and the remains are left, most species will bury the remains. The fox sometimes returns to the quarry and eats more than he thinks is necessary.
Since fox hunting is probably a nocturnal activity, many poultry farmers woke up in the morning to discover that they had lost a chicken to the red fox. But well-protected fences will stop these nocturnal intruders. In defense of this cunning hunter, one can say that it is an excellent "mousetrap". Thus, the red fox feeds abundantly with insects and even slaughter, even in summer. Is it fair that farmers regard him as a careless villain?
Speaking of food, the fox has his own "refrigerator". In the fall, this fox collects squirrels, mice and lemmings, kills them and stores food directly under the earth's surface in a real "refrigerator" or "refrigerator".
The fox and the man
Regarding Arctic foxes, the 18th century scientist GW Steller wrote: “They hugged our homes day and night and stole everything they could take with them, including objects they did not care about. Utensils such as knives, sticks, bags, shoes, bags, hats, etc. They knew in an incredibly clever way to get a weight of several poodles (a pudding weighs about 16 kilos) from our piles and steal the meat from there, which we could hardly do first. give them credit for it. When we peel sea animals, we usually close two or three foxes with our knives because they wanted to take the meat out of their hands. . . . They looked at everything we did and supported us in all the projects we did. - Animal Kingdom.
Although these animals are a nuisance, some people are happy to have some foxes around. Fox breeding is a very lucrative business. Silver foxes were first bred for fur on Prince Edward Island in 1894. Since then, fox breeding has become a major industry. High quality leather is manufactured in cold and damp areas.
But is it possible to tame a fox? In this regard, it was said: “Even after several generations in captivity, foxes are not really tamed or tamed. Foxes trapped in the jungle soon learn to respect their guardian, but he can not afford to lose vigilance. Their accusations will break and bite with little or no provocation.
The wild fox has been the target of many hunts. Fox hunting as a sport in England probably began in the 18th century. On horseback, people follow the trained dogs through the field, while the dogs follow the fox in search of its scent. Once the fox has been heard, it can break free. But this hunt became popular in England because the fox is known for its cunning. Your reputation in turn raises a good question.
How smart is the fox?
It can be discussed whether any fox is as cunning as the legend says it is.Still, there is no doubt that the fox became known for his cunning.Foxes are really known for doing smart things. For example, a fox can travel about 60 miles per hour. But let some dogs start barking far away! The fox can accelerate at a speed of 45 miles per hour. However, you can only keep that speed for about a mile. How can the fox escape from his pursuers? Why not pick up your tracks, then jump to the side and be safe? It is known that this is exactly what the fox does.
Of course, there are other ways to get out of trouble. Jumping off the ground on an old fence and walking over it for a bit can keep dogs from losing the fox scent. Why not cross a stream? Or how about a field that has just been fertilized? He will take care of the smell. What about winter? Walking on thin ice that is strong enough to contain the fox and too fragile to hold a pack of dogs is a great way to hunt down the enemy. Mr. Fox can just sit on the opposite beach and watch the unhappy dogs take a cold “shower”.
Despite all the cunning, the fox cannot escape the flea. But there is still a safe and secure fraud process. A fox has been seen picking up strands of sheep's wool from a hawthorn fence in England. The fox "arranged the wool in the mouthpiece so that it protrudes two or three inches on each side," wrote R. Atkinson of Kendal several years ago, adding: "Then he proceeded against it. -current of a jet of water flowing through the mouthpiece. In the field, he walked on his back, sat like a dog on the hooks, then dived into the water and stretched out its front legs until its whole body was submerged except for the nostrils and the wool in its mouth. The fox remained in this position for two or three minutes, then it slowly let go of the wool, is got out of the water, shivered violently and disappeared. The wool released by the fox was carried downstream so we looked for it and finally we found it washed up on the river bank. Chicken fleas, hundreds . It is evident that the fleas opposed the water and created the largest dry area, namely the wool.
Yes, a fox can get rid of fleas by going to a lake or stream. With its beautiful appearance, this creature can thwart fleas or hunting dogs. And even people who don't believe that the fox is very intelligent will probably admit that it is a cunning hunter in the fields and in the woods.
It has a busy life