More Wildlife Encounters!

Well, last night I went and watched some red fox pups play. They are so comical, not to mention cute! Unfortunately mom chose a den in the bank of a drainage ditch - but it's right next to a busy road. The pups tend to stay off the road, but I wouldn't be surprised if some are hit by cars in the following months. :( They're just not really afraid of the cars, they aren't even fazed as they fly by, unless it's an especially noisy motorcycle or big truck (and then they'll run to the den).

Another problem is that these foxes are becoming very used to humans. Some idiot (and yes I do consider them an idiot for not considering the ramifications before publishing) put an article in our local paper about them. As a result, people are flocking to the area - while I was there probably about 10-20 people rotated through. I actually asked a few to move back, they were so close. The more used to people these foxes become, the more dangerous it is for them AND us. I'm estimating their age to be almost two months old since this species is usually born around March, they're just starting to grow the shiny guard hairs in that you see on adults (happens at 8 weeks), and because typically at 10 weeks (and I'm really crossing my fingers for this) they become more wary of humans.

So I took some pics and video and made one of my usual compliations. Enjoy - I know I did!



And here are a couple photos - they're the same ones from the video but they're some of my favorites and I thought some of you might like a longer look. ;)

All six:


His lil tongue is sticking out! lol!:




And my personal favorite:



Now for the obligatory "fox facts" (try saying that 10 times fast)! The Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes, is the largest species of the true foxes, and is the most geographically spread of any terrestrial member of the entire order Carnivora (which includes over 260 species). They have a HUGE range and can survive and thrive in a variety of habitats. You can find them in the majority of the northern hemisphere - all the way from the Artic Circle to Central America! They're also found in central Asia, northern Africa, the northern regions of India and Vietnam, and have been introduced to Australia.

One of the things I find most interesting about this species is the large list of subspecies (which can differ significantly in color, pattern, and shape). In 2005 there were an astounding 45 subspecies listed, and yet another was discovered last year (article about that here). I would not normally use Wikipedia as a source, but there is a pretty good list there including photos, descriptions, and ranges, if you'd like to see some of the differences in subspecies - Red Fox Subspecies. Also, impressively, none of these subpsecies are listed as endangered (unlike many other foxes). This testifies to the fact that this is truly an adaptable animal, though as such it has also just (#99) made the list of the "100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species" (and this list even includes plants and insects)!

The foxes I saw will be with their mother at the den site until fall unless she moves them (though I would have thought she'd have done that already if she was going to, with all the human disturbances). Then they will either stay with her to help raise next year's litter, or venture out on their own. I certainly hope they end up venturing somewhere far from busy roads and angry farmers with missing chickens!