Vulpini

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in biology, Vulpini (Alias:Foxs)  It is a genus in the family Canidae, order Carnivora . The skull is long, the snout is long, and the length from the front edge of the antorbital foramen to the snout is much longer than the width between the molars. The interorbital part is low and flat, and the frontal sinus is underdeveloped; the postorbital process is low and slightly sunken. The canine teeth are thin and long. When biting, the tip of the upper canine is close to or reaches the bottom edge of the mandible, and the tip of the lower canine exceeds the alveolar line of the maxilla. The lower molars are narrow and long, with sharp tips . There are 9 varieties of Vulpini in the world and 3 varieties in China, namely red fox, sand fox and Tibetan fox .

Vulpini is mainly distributed in Asia, Africa and North America ; it mostly inhabits forests, grasslands, hills, wastelands, valleys, the shores of lakes and caves in semi-desert areas. Foxes usually live alone and mainly live in pairs and families. Prefers a dry, clean environment . Foxes are wary and suspicious animals, and their staple diet includes wild foods such as rodents, insects, birds, fish, and shrimp; they also eat plant foods such as berries, plant seeds, roots, and leaves. Domestic foxes usually feed on meat, fish, and livestock and poultry scraps, as well as grain feed, fruits and vegetables . Vulpini seasonal single-estrus animals are sexually mature at 9-11 months of age, have a gestation period of about 52 days , give birth to an average of 5-6 litters per litter, and have a lifespan of 8-12 years .

The oldest known fossil species of Vulpini is "V. riffautae", dating to the late Miocene of Chad in the Neogene. The sediments in which the fossils were found are approximately 7 million years old, which may make them the earliest canids from the Old World. It is estimated that their weight is between 7-2 kilograms. V. skinneri from the Malapa Fossil Site in South Africa is about 5 million years younger than V. riffautae and appeared in the early Pleistocene.

Two other extinct, less well-documented fossils are known: V. praeglacialis and V. hassani. V. praeglacialis was discovered in the Petralona Cave in Chalkidiki, Greece. The age of the sediments (Early Pleistocene) makes it the earliest known fox in Europe. V. hassani is found in Miocene-Pliocene deposits in northwest Africa. This species likely gave rise to the current Rüppell's foxes, which supports that the close phylogenetic clustering of Rüppels and red foxes is the result of recent introgressive hybridization rather than recent speciation.

During the Pleistocene, foxes had a fairly wide distribution, with eight species found in North America. Of these eight species, six are not fossils, and three species still exist in North America (the prairie fox, the North American fox, and the red fox). Over time, the remaining three species moved to parts of Africa. V. stenognathus is extinct, but has extant sister taxa including the South African fox, Rutherford's fox, steppe fox, and red fox, which is consistent with these species evolving together in North America.

The body length of Fox species is 45-90 cm, the tail length is 25-60 cm, and the weight is 2-10 kg. The largest one exceeds 15 kg. The female animal is slightly smaller than the male animal. They are animals with pointed ears, triangular heads, slender bodies, and soft skin. It has a slender body, a pointed mouth, big ears, short limbs, and a long tail trailing behind it.

The fur on the back of their bodies has various colors. Those with more red fur are commonly known as fire foxes, and those with more gray-yellow fur are commonly known as grass foxes. The head is generally grey-brown, the back of the ears is black or dark brown, the lips, chin and front chest are dark white, the sides of the body are slightly yellow, the abdomen is white or yellow, the color of the limbs is slightly darker than the back, and there are It has dark brown stripes of varying widths, fluffy tail hair, and a white tail tip. In addition, there are many variations of body color. For example, those whose fur is all black are called black foxes or swarthy foxes; those whose fur is black all over but with white tips and appear silvery under the light are called silver foxes or swarthy foxes. Black fox; the one whose whole body is auburn and has black cross-shaped fur on its shoulders is called cross fox. In addition, there are also Japanese sword foxes and so on. Distributed in different parts of the world are Bengal fox, Afghan fox, South African fox, Tibetan fox and Arctic fox. According to their fur and morphological habits, they are divided into sand fox, Tibetan fox, blue fox, steppe fox, red fox and fennec fox.

They live in forests, shrubs, grasslands, deserts, hills, mountains, tundra and other environments, and sometimes live in the suburbs of cities. It likes to live in caves, tree holes or rock crevices, and sometimes occupies the nests of rabbits, badgers and other animals. In winter, there is water vapor coming out of the hole, and there is obvious frost, as well as scattered footprints, urine and feces, etc. In summer, There is new soil dug out around the entrance of the cave, with obvious footprints on it, and a very strong smell of fox smell.

North African foxes live in the Sahara Desert.

Behavior

Vulpini animals often live in irregular places and generally live alone except during the breeding and rearing periods. They usually come out at night and sleep in caves during the day. Their long tails protect against moisture and keep warm. However, in remote places, they sometimes come out to look for food during the day. Although its legs and feet are short, its claws are very sharp and it can run very fast. It can reach speeds of more than 50 kilometers per hour when chasing prey. It is also good at swimming and climbing trees.

senses

It has a cunning temperament, a strong memory, well-developed senses of hearing and smell, and is agile and durable. Unlike other canines, which mostly obtain food by hunting, they can think of various ways to capture prey with strategies. . It often first searches for traces of wild rats and hares in areas with lush vegetation and frequent activities based on their smells, calls, and footprints. Then it approaches its prey alertly and quietly, and even lies completely on the ground and crawls. To prevent the prey from being frightened and running away, burrow into a cave or under a rock or tree, then crouch down, ready to wait for an opportunity, then step forward lightly at first, then speed up, and finally turn into a sprint. Attack suddenly and catch prey. Sometimes they pretend to be in pain or chase their tails to attract the attention of small animals such as burrowing rats. When they get close, they suddenly come forward to capture them.

nature

Suspicious by nature, he usually carefully observes the surrounding environment before taking action. When it encounters an enemy, it will use a secret weapon hidden in its body - the anal glands, secreting a "body odor" that can almost suffocate other animals. The foul smell will force the pursuer to stop. In critical situations, it can also escape by running into the flock of sheep or jumping into the river to hide. Foxes caught by hunters also have the ability to "pretend to be dead". They can temporarily stop breathing and appear to be on their last legs. They are at the mercy of others, but when they are unprepared, they suddenly and quickly escape. These cunning behaviors are its superb means of survival.

vision

The eyes are suitable for night vision. In brightly lit places, the pupils will become as small as the nose of a needle. However, because there are special reflective crystal points at the bottom of the eyeball, which can combine weak light into a beam and reflect it out concentratedly, so in the dark night It is always shining brightly. Near ancient temples, ruins, tombs, and mounds in barren mountains and wilderness, if there are a few red foxes wandering back and forth at night, it will look like many small, flickering lights from a distance. It often confuses people, causes fear, or causes fantasies about elves and ghosts. Coupled with the inherent alertness and cunning habits of red foxes, all kinds of absurd legends are produced, and the red fox is also coated with a layer of mystery. Color, call it "Fox Fairy" and so on.

feeding habits

Are solitary hunters except during mating season and feeding small mammals. In urban environments, they can easily find food in garbage. Not only predators, but also random omnivores, and even "killers", among which various wild rats and hares, including voles, house mice, chinchillas, wall rats, chipmunks, etc., are the main food, and also They eat frogs, fish, birds, bird eggs, insects, etc. They will not let go of food found in animal carcasses and garbage abandoned by humans. They also eat wild fruits or berries such as strawberries, acorns, and grapes. If the food cannot be eaten for a while, it will carefully choose a hidden place and bury it carefully. It will also go through some camouflage and eliminate all traces before leaving to avoid being discovered by other animals. When hunting, it likes to tease prey that can no longer escape, and often kills all the prey it can catch and never releases them. This is called "killing behavior", which may be caused by instinct or some kind of stimulation. It is caused by either of the two reasons.

Distributed in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Armenia, Israel, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Syria, Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, China, Iran, Kazakhstan Stan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, United States, Mexico, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Mali, Guinea, Mauritania, Niger , Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, Sudan, Djibouti, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Somalia, Tunisia, Yemen, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic , Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Faroe Islands, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Vatican, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein Sten, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Myanmar, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Svalbard, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey Turkey and the UK.

They come into estrus and mate from December to February every year. Those living in the northern region have to postpone breeding for 1-2 months. At this time, fierce battles for mates will occur between male animals. During courtship, male and female animals are attracted to each other through the musk-like smell emitted from their urine. The male animals who are lured by the female will make weird and terrifying screams and perform a complicated courtship method. Not only do male animals take part in raising their offspring, but they also start preparing caves before the female animals give birth, and go out to help forage for food.

The female's gestation period is about 2-3 months, and she gives birth in a hole in the earth or a tree hole between March and April. There are usually 5-6 cubs in each litter, and up to 13 cubs. When the cubs are born, the male The beast always stays next to the female. Newborn cubs have black and short fur, are weak and weigh about 60-90 grams. They do not open their eyes until 14-18 days after birth. During this period, the female animals raise and take care of them carefully and never leave. Food is provided by male animals, and the entire lactation period is about 45 days.

The cubs like to bask in the sun at the entrance of the cave, and they grow very quickly. Their weight reaches 1 kilogram at about one month old, and they can move out of the cave. The male beast is even busier at this time, not only for the female beast, but also for the fast-growing baby. The cubs provide food. If the female animal dies at this time, the male animal will have to take on the task of raising the offspring alone. Half a year later, the grown-up cubs leave the female and begin to live independently. They reach sexual maturity in 9-10 months and have a lifespan of about 12-14 years.

protection level

All are listed in the "World Conservation Union Red List of Threatened Species" (IUCN) 2016 ver3.1 - Least Concern (LC).

Population status

Foxes are a common species in nature. People and dogs are considered to be the main threat to foxes. Human beings have been hunting commercially throughout history, either for the pet trade, selling their meat to locals for food, or selling their fur. Made into clothing. They are also hunted by domestic dogs. Such threats have caused global population declines. In some permanent and new human settlements, local foxes have disappeared. However, species of this genus are still the most evolutionarily successful animals. In addition to their traditional survival and habitat areas, they have also entered the edges of towns and residential areas where humans live, and survive on human food waste. Humans have successfully cultivated a variety of farmed species for fur, which provides protection for the survival of species in the wild.