Vulpes

{{See also|List of canids}}

Within Vulpes, 12 separate extant species and four fossil species are described:

File:Rattlesnake Formation Mural - Vulpes stenognathus.jpg

The oldest known fossil species within Vulpes is V. riffautae, dating back to the late Miocene of Chad, which is within the Neogene. The deposits where these fossils are found are about 7 million years old, which might make them the earliest Canidae in the Old World. They are estimated to have weighed between 1.5 and 3.5 lb. V. skinneri, from the Malapa Fossil Site from South Africa, is younger than V. riffautae by roughly 5 million years, and shows up in the early Pleistocene.{{cite journal |last1 = de Bonis| first1 = Louis| last2 = Peigné| first2 = Stéphane| last3 = Likius| first3 = Andossa| last4 = Mackaye| first4 = Hassane Taïsso| last5 = Vignaud| first5 = Patrick| last6 = Brunet| first6 = Michel | display-authors = etal | year = 2007 | title = The oldest African fox (Vulpes riffautae n. sp., Canidae, Carnivora) recovered in late Miocene deposits of the Djurab desert, Chad | journal = Naturwissenschaften | volume = 94 | issue = 7| pages = 575–580 | doi = 10.1007/s00114-007-0230-6 | pmid = 17361401 | bibcode = 2007NW.....94..575D| s2cid = 6073654 }}

Two other extinct, less documented fossils are known: V. praeglacialis and V. hassani. V. praeglacialis was discovered in the Petralona Cave in Chalkidiki, Greece. The age of the deposits (Early Pleistocene) makes it the earliest occurrence of Vulpes in Europe. V. hassani is found in a Miocene-Pliocene deposit in northwestern Africa. This species may have given rise to current Rüppell's fox,{{Cite journal |last1=Basuony |first1=A. E. |last2=Saleh |first2=M. |last3=Hailer |first3=F. |date=2024 |title=Mitogenomic analysis of Rüppell's fox (Vulpes rueppellii) confirms phylogenetic placement within the Palaearctic clade shared with its sister species, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) |doi=10.1080/24701394.2024.2332320 |journal=Mitochondrial DNA Part A |volume=34 |pages=1–7|pmid=38584459 }} which lends support that the close phylogenetic clustering of Rüppels and Red foxes is the result of recent introgressive hybridization rather than recent speciation.{{cite journal |last1=Basuony |first1=Ali E |last2=Saleh |first2=Mostafa |last3=Sarhan |first3=Moustafa |last4=Younes |first4=Mahmoud |last5=Abdel-Hamid |first5=Fouad |last6=Rodriguez Fernandes |first6=Carlos |last7=Vercammen |first7=Paul |last8=Aboshaala |first8=Faraj |last9=Bounaceur |first9=Farid |last10=Chadwick |first10=Elizabeth A |last11=Hailer |first11=Frank |title=Paraphyly of the widespread generalist red fox (Vulpes vulpes): introgression rather than recent divergence of the arid-adapted Rüppell's fox (Vulpes rueppellii)? |journal=Biological Journal of the Linnean Society |date=2023 |volume=138 |issue=4 |pages=453–469 |doi=10.1093/biolinnean/blad001|doi-access=free }}

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{{Cite journal| doi = 10.2307/2420725|volume = 25| issue = 3| pages = 692–710| last = Savage| first = Donald E.| title = Two New Middle Pliocene Carnivores from Oklahoma with Notes on the Optima Fauna| journal = The American Midland Naturalist| date = 1941| jstor = 2420725}} 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|date=March 2022}}

{{refimprove|section|date=February 2025}}

• †Vulpes hassani
• †Vulpes odessana
• †Vulpes praeglacialis - Kormos (found in Petralona Cave, Greece)
• †Vulpes qiuzhudingi (2014)
• †Vulpes riffautae - Late Miocene
• †Vulpes rooki{{Cite journal |last=Bartolini Lucenti |first=S. |year=2021 |title=A new large-sized Pliocene fox (Carnivora, Canidae) from Yushe Basin (Shanxi, China) |journal=Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia |volume=127 |issue=1 |pages=133–147 |doi=10.13130/2039-4942/15206 |s2cid=244993909 }}
• †Vulpes skinneri
• †Vulpes stenognathus

File:Iceland-1979445.jpg (Vulpes lagopus) in winter pelage.]]

True foxes are small to medium-sized animals, usually smaller than other canines, such as wolves, dogs, and jackals. For example, the largest species, the red fox, weighs on average 4.1–8.7 kg{{cite journal |last1=Lariviere |first1=Serge |last2=Pasitschniak-Arts |first2=Maria |title=Vulpes vulpes |journal=Mammalian Species |date=27 December 1996 |issue=537 |pages=1–11 |doi=10.2307/3504236|jstor=3504236 |doi-access=free }} and the smallest species, the fennec fox, weighs only 0.7–1.6 kg.{{cite book |last1=Nobleman |first1=Marc Tyler |title=Foxes |date=2007 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish Benchmark |location=New York |isbn=978-0-7614-2237-2}} They have long, dense fur, and a bushy, rounded tail that is at least half as long, or fully as long as, the head and body. They have a rather long body with shorter limbs, a long, narrow muzzle, and large, pointed ears. The forelimbs have five toes, while the hind legs have only four.{{Cite book| publisher = Johns Hopkins University Press| isbn = 978-0-8018-8032-2| last1 = Nowak| first1 = R.M.| last2 = Macdonald| first2 = D.W.| last3 = Kays| first3 = R.W.| title = Walker's Carnivores of the World| series = Johns Hopkins paperback| date = 2005}} The skull is light and slender, elongated. Sagittal crest not developed at all or weakly defined.{{cite book|author=Geptner, V. G. |author2=Nasimovich, A. A. |author3=Bannikov, Andreĭ Grigorʹevich |author4=Hoffmann, Robert S.|title=Mammals of the Soviet Union|url=https://archive.org/details/mammalsofsov211998gept|year=1988|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Libraries}}

Vulpes species have vertically slit pupils, which generally appear elliptical in strong light like those of cats, which provide them with significant advantages.{{cite web |title=Red Fox Senses |url=https://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/animals/article/red-fox-senses |website=www.wildlifeonline.me.uk |publisher=Wildlife Online |access-date=1 November 2020 |language=en}} Like most canids, true foxes have a muscular body, powerful jaws, and teeth for grasping prey. Blunt claws are especially useful for gripping the ground while tracking down their prey.{{cite web |last1=Hubbard |first1=Tru |title=Vulpes (foxes) |url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Vulpes/ |website=Animal Diversity Web |language=en}} Some species have a pungent "foxy" odor, arising mainly from a gland located on the dorsal surface of the tail, not far from its base. Not much sexual dimorphism is displayed, although males are slightly larger.

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.{{Cite thesis|title=Comparative osteology, myology, and locomotor specializations of the fore and hind limbs of the North American foxes Vulpes vulpes and Urocyon cinereoargenteus|last=Feeney|first=Susan| date=1999|degree=Doctoral Dissertation|url=https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9920598}}

The length, color and density of the fur of fox species differ. Fennec foxes (and other desert-adapted fox species such as Vulpes macrotis) have large ears and a short coat to keep the body cool.{{cite book |last1=Burrows |first1=Roger |title=Wild fox. |date=1968 |publisher=David & Charles |location=Newton Abbot |isbn=9780715342176}} On the other hand, the Arctic fox has small ears and a thick, insulating coat to keep the body warm.{{cite web |title=Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) |url=http://www.arkive.org/arctic-fox/vulpes-lagopus/ |website=ARKive |publisher=Wildscreen |access-date=2 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221144017/http://www.arkive.org/arctic-fox/vulpes-lagopus/ |archive-date=2011-02-21 |date=2003–2011 |url-status=dead}} A solid color coat is seen in most animals, but there are occasions where the coat color varies over the year to enhance camouflage against the current seasons landscape. The red fox, Ruppell's fox, and Tibetan sand fox possess white-tipped tails.{{Cite book|publisher=IUCN|isbn=978-2-8317-0786-0|url=https://www.carnivoreconservation.org/files/actionplans/canids.pdf|editor1-last=Sillero-Zubiri|editor1-first=Claudio|editor2-last=Hoffman|editor2-first=Michael |editor3=MacDonald David W.|title=Canids: foxes, wolves, jackals, and dogs| location=Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge|date=2004}} The Arctic fox's tail-tip is of the same color as the rest of the tail (white or blue-gray).{{Cite book|isbn = 978-0-395-91098-6| last=Burt|first=William H|title=Field guide to mammals: North America north of Mexico|date=1998|pages=75, plate 7|location=Boston|publisher= Houghton Mifflin Harcourt}} Blanford's fox usually possesses a black-tipped tail, but a small number of specimens (2% in Israel, 24% in the United Arab Emirates) possess a light-tipped tail. The other foxes in this group (Bengal, Cape, corsac, fennec, kit, pale, and swift) all possess black-tipped or dark-tipped tails.

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.{{cite journal |last1=Dorning |first1=Jo |last2=Harris |first2=Stephen |title=Dominance, gender, and season influence food patch use in a group-living, solitary foraging canid |journal=Behavioral Ecology |date=1 September 2017 |volume=28 |issue=5 |pages=1302–1313 |doi=10.1093/beheco/arx092|s2cid=90512617 |doi-access=free }} In certain areas, foxes tend to do better where humans are present, including in many agricultural landscapes,{{cite web|title=History and biology|publisher=Feral Scan/Fox Scan|url=http://www.feralscan.org.au/foxscan/pagecontent.aspx?page=fox_historyandbiology|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312143937/http://feralscan.org.au/foxscan/pagecontent.aspx?page=fox_historyandbiology|archive-date=2014-03-12|access-date=2014-04-01}} forests and patchy woodlands.

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 gregarious.{{cite book |last1=Rosevear |first1=D. R. |title=The carnivores of West Africa |date=1974 |publisher=British Museum (Natural History) |location=London |isbn=9780565007232}}

Vulpes have a high variation in social organization between species and populations. Their hierarchical society usually depends on population densities. As population density increases, there is also an increase in the formation of social groups. These groups consist of one dominant pair and a few other subordinate adults that tend to be related. Dominance is established within the den, and dominant kits have usually more access to food and often hold higher social status. If a dispute occurs, dominance is determined by fighting, and the loser may be rejected from its group. These social groups can consist of up to ten adults.{{cite journal |last1=Iossa |first1=Graziella |last2=Soulsbury |first2=Carl D. |last3=Baker |first3=Philip J. |last4=Edwards |first4=Keith J. |last5=Harris |first5=Stephen |title=Behavioral changes associated with a population density decline in the facultatively social red fox |journal=Behavioral Ecology |date=2009 |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=385–395 |doi=10.1093/beheco/arn149|doi-access=free |hdl=10.1093/beheco/arn149 |hdl-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=Dorning |first1=Jo |last2=Harris |first2=Stephen |title=Individual and seasonal variation in contact rate, connectivity and centrality in red fox (Vulpes vulpes) social groups |journal=Scientific Reports |date=December 2019 |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=20095 |doi=10.1038/s41598-019-56713-3|pmid=31882945 |pmc=6934461 |bibcode=2019NatSR...920095D }} Cape foxes likely have a matriarchal social organization.{{cite journal |last1=Kamler |first1=Jan F. |last2=Macdonald |first2=David W. |title=Social organization, survival, and dispersal of cape foxes (Vulpes chama) in South Africa |journal=Mammalian Biology |date=January 2014 |volume=79 |issue=1 |pages=64–70 |doi=10.1016/j.mambio.2013.09.004|bibcode=2014MamBi..79...64K }}

This genus is omnivorous and prone to scavenging. The foods of choice for Vulpes consist of invertebrates, a variety of small vertebrates, grasses, and some angiosperms. The typical intake per day is about 1 kg. True foxes exhibit hoarding behavior or caching where they store away food for another day out of sight from other animals.Fedriani, J.M.; T. K. Fuller, R. M. Sauvajot, E. C. York (2000-07-05). "Competition and intraguild predation amount three sympatric carnivores" Oecologia 125 (2) 258-270. {{doi|10.1007/s004420000448}}.

Adult foxes have very few predators except coyotes, bears, and wolves, depending on the location. Juvenile foxes face a wider range of threats from small carnivores and large birds of prey, such as eagles.

Most true foxes are monogamous. However, they can form polyandrous and polygynous pairs.{{cite journal |last1=Baker |first1=Philip J. |last2=Funk |first2=Stephan M. |last3=Bruford |first3=Michael W. |last4=Harris |first4=Stephen |title=Polygynandry in a red fox population: implications for the evolution of group living in canids? |journal=Behavioral Ecology |date=September 2004 |volume=15 |issue=5 |pages=766–778 |doi=10.1093/beheco/arh077|doi-access=free }} Breeding season varies between species and habitat, but they generally breed between late December and late March. Most foxes dig out dens to provide a safe underground space for raising their young.{{cite web |title=The secret life of urban foxes |url=https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/the-secret-life-of-urban-foxes.html |website=www.nhm.ac.uk |language=en |author=Emily Osterloff}} 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.{{cite web|author=Harris, Steven|year=2010|title=Understand fox behavior|access-date=2014-03-23|url=https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/understand-fox-behaviour/}}

{{Main|Domesticated silver fox}}

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.{{cite journal | last1 = Trut | first1 = Lyudmila | year = 1999 | title = Early Canid Domestication: The Farm-Fox Experiment | journal = American Scientist | volume = 87 | issue = 2| page = 160 | doi = 10.1511/1999.2.160 | bibcode = 1999AmSci..87.....T }} In this study, generations of silver foxes were divided into those with friendly traits and those with unfriendly traits.{{Cite journal|last1=Kukekova|first1=Anna V.|last2=Trut|first2=L. N.|last3=Chase|first3=K.|last4=Shepeleva|first4=D. V.|last5=Vladimirova|first5=A. V.|last6=Kharlamova|first6=A. V.|last7=Oskina|first7=I. N.|last8=Stepika|first8=A.|last9=Klebanov|first9=S.|last10=Erb|first10=H. N.|last11=Acland|first11=G. M.|date=2008-03-01|title=Measurement of Segregating Behaviors in Experimental Silver Fox Pedigrees|journal=Behavior Genetics|language=en|volume=38|issue=2|pages=185–194|doi=10.1007/s10519-007-9180-1|pmc=2374754|pmid=18030612}} After 50 years, the friendly foxes developed “dog-like” domesticated traits such as spots, tail wagging, enjoyment of human touch, and barking.{{Cite journal|last1=Lord|first1=Kathryn A.|last2=Larson|first2=Greger|last3=Coppinger|first3=Raymond P.|last4=Karlsson|first4=Elinor K.|date=2020-02-01|title=The History of Farm Foxes Undermines the Animal Domestication Syndrome|journal=Trends in Ecology & Evolution|language=en|volume=35|issue=2|pages=125–136|doi=10.1016/j.tree.2019.10.011|pmid=31810775|doi-access=free|bibcode=2020TEcoE..35..125L }}

{{Main|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."Fox hunting worldwide". BBC News. 1999-09-16. Retrieved 2014-03-29

{{Main|Foxes in culture}}

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• {{Commons category-inline|Vulpes|Vulpes}}
• {{Wikispecies-inline|Vulpes|Vulpes}}

{{Carnivora|Ca.}}

{{Canidae extinct nav|C.}}

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Category:Carnivoran genera

Category:Extant Miocene first appearances

Category:Taxa named by François Alexandre Pierre de Garsault