These earthy tones help them maintain camouflage during the summer months as the snow melts in many areas. It’s a well-known fact that arctic foxes have thick white fur that helps them blend in with the snowy arctic landscape, but did you know that they aren’t white year-round? In summer, they shed their winter coat for a thinner brown/grey summer coat. The size of an arctic fox from its head to the tip of its tail is 849mm for an average male and 810mm for females, which makes them one of the smallest canines. They fall into the sub-group of canines which includes other foxes, wolves, coyotes, and domesticated dogs. They come from the same family as dogsĪrctic foxes are members of the Canidae family of animals. Foxes have also been known to climb trees and settle on low branches.1.Foxes have whiskers on their legs as well as around their faces, which they use to help them find their way.The non-native species were released by early European settlers for hunting purposes, as early as the mid 1700s. They colonised there shortly after the last glacial period, around 11,000 years ago. There are native and non-native red foxes in North America the native foxes are the Canadian Boreal Forest species that historically occurrs in the northern regions of North America.They were introduced to Australia in the mid-19 th century and are native to Europe, Asia and North Africa.A fox’s range varies from 10 hectares in cities to over 2000 hectares in rural areas.Instead it uses its carnassial or shearing teeth to cut the meat into manageable chunks. Their eyes glow green when light is shone into them at night. This doubles the intensity of images received by the fox. Behind the light sensitive cells lies another layer called the tapetum lucidum which reflects light back through the eye. Foxes are great night-time predators because their eyes are specially adapted to night vision.All members of this family are incredibly adaptable animals, and this makes them successful colonisers in many areas of the world, practically in all habitats available and often in close proximity to humans. Foxes belong to the dog family, which includes wolves, coyotes, grey foxes, raccoon dogs and their relatives.This technique is one of the first things cubs learn as they begin to hunt. They catch small rodents with a characteristic high pounce.

They also can die of starvation or cold during hard winters.

However, many cubs die prematurely due to other predators (dogs, badgers), but their biggest killer is the motor vehicle. They have short noses which resemble puppies when born.

The cubs’ eyes and ears open after two weeks and at four weeks they will emerge from their dens.

Occasionally there can be two dog fox’s associated with one vixen. These ‘aunts’ gain valuable experience which helps them to rear their own litter successfully the next season.

Vixens are occasionally assisted in rearing their cubs by a non-breeding sister or a female cub from a previous litter.

You can often hear the mating calls, which is a sharp, high-pitched shrieking/screaming noise, which can sound quite terrifying.

While they are solitary animals, during breeding season (winter) when they court and mate, the dog fox will support the female (vixen) by bringing food for the family (early spring).

A fox’s den is normally a burrow underground, also known as an ‘earth’, but they can also live above ground in a cosy hollow.

Are foxes nocturnal