Re: RE: Fox

Gee Kitty, maybe you need a pair of foxes.  Didn't you say you have a vole problem?

Pam Evans
Kemp, TX
zone 8A
----- Original Message -----
From: Lynda Young
Sent: 6/4/2004 7:44:28 AM
To: gardenchat@hort.net
Subject: RE: [CHAT] Fox

> Very interesting.  Thanks, Bonnie.  The little guy is welcome in my yard
> anytime he wants - I'd welcome the help with the voles!
> 
> Lynda
> Zone 7 - West Tn
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-gardenchat@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On
> Behalf Of Bonnie Holmes
> Sent: Friday, June 04, 2004 10:01 AM
> To: gardenchat
> Subject: [CHAT] Fox
> 
> 
> Doesn't really answer the question but since they are related to dogs
> and can be bred into border-like collies, I guess you might find one
> that is curious about your dogs. One of our neighbors, about 2-3 miles
> away, also sees a family of foxes play in the evening...entertainment
> from their back porch.
> 
> 
> http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/Science_and_Nature/Living_Things/Animals/Ma
> mmals/Dogs/Wild_Dogs/Foxes/
> FOX, smallest member of the DOG FAMILY, Canidae, which also includes
> wolves, coyotes, jackals, and dogs. Foxes are characterized by short
> legs, an elongated narrow muzzle, erect triangular ears, thick fur, and
> a long bushy tail. The 13 or 14 species of foxes are found throughout
> the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa, inhabiting mostly forest, chaparral,
> and desert regions. Most of the nine species of the genus Vulpes, to
> which the red fox belongs, can adapt to diverse climates and habitats.
> 
> Most foxes feed on mice, voles, rabbits, birds? eggs, fruit, large
> insects, and carrion. Because their prey is small, foxes are solitary
> rather than pack hunters. They generally work territories of less than 8
> sq km (3 sq mi), which they defend from other foxes. They are swift,
> agile runners; the red fox can reach a speed of 48 km (30 mi) per hour.
> 
> 
> Red Foxestop
> 
> The European red fox, V. vulpes, and the North American red fox, V.
> fulva, are by far the most common. They are similar and are sometimes
> considered of the same species. The foxes are 90 to 105 cm (36 to 42 in)
> long, not including the tail, weigh about 7 kg (about 15 lb), and are
> distinguished by black ears and feet and a white tip on the tail. The
> coat is usually some shade of rusty red or reddish-brown, sprinkled with
> light-tipped hairs. V. vulpes ranges across Eurasia and North Africa,
> and V. fulva from northern Mexico to the Arctic. Within these vast zones
> diverse subspecies of red fox have developed; those of the south are
> smaller and have lighter colored coats, and those of the north are
> larger, with thicker and darker coats. The silver fox, valued for its
> black, frosted fur, is simply a variant of the red fox.
> 
> The great alertness of the red fox, and its keen senses of smell,
> hearing, and sight, enable it to live close to human habitation without
> being easily noticed. Farmland with woodlots and open fields provides it
> with good cover and abundant rodents, especially field mice. When red
> foxes have been eradicated from rural areas, populations of rodents have
> swelled. Red foxes were introduced to Australia to cope with its plague
> of previously introduced rabbits.
> 
> On pairing, red foxes occupy a territory of 3 to 8 sq km (1.5 to 3 sq
> mi). They mate in midwinter, and following a 50- to 55-day gestation
> period, the vixen bears two to eight cubs in a den that is frequently an
> enlarged groundhog hole. The cubs are born with their eyes closed and
> are attended in the den by both parents for about five weeks. By fall
> the young leave or are driven from the territory. Red foxes are believed
> to pair for life; their lifespan is about 12 years.
> 
> From:
> 
>     http://www.grandin.com/references/genetics.html
> 
> Thirty percent were extremely aggressive toward man, 60% were either
> fearful or fearfully aggressive, and 10% displayed a quiet exploratory
> reaction without either fear or aggression. The objective of this
> experiment was to breed animals similar in behavior to the domestic dog.
> By selecting and breeding the tamest individuals, 20 years later the
> experiment succeeded in turning wild foxes into tame, border collie-like
> fox-dogs. The highly selected "tame" population of (fox-dog) foxes
> actively sought human contact and would whine and wag their tails when
> people approached (Belyaev 1979). This behavior was in sharp contrast to
> wild foxes which showed extremely aggressive and fearful behavior toward
> man. Keeler et al. (1970) described this behavior:
> 
> 
> Bonnie Zone 6+ ETN
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Support hort.net -- join the hort.net fund drive!
> http://www.hort.net/funds/
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Support hort.net -- join the hort.net fund drive!
> http://www.hort.net/funds/

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Support hort.net -- join the hort.net fund drive!
http://www.hort.net/funds/
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index