January 2023

18 Buckden Roundabout January 2023 Wildlife - The Fox The Fox Foxes are members of the Dog family and in the broadest sense they are any small to medium size member of that family with bushy tails, pointed ears and a narrow snout. However, if you wish to be more accurate, they are any animal classified in the family Vulpes. Our fox in the UK rejoices in the scientific name Vulpes vulpes and is the widest ranging land mammal after Man himself. Found in Europe, most of Asia except the south east and North America, it has also made its way to Aus- tralia with the help of Man, where it is now considered an inva- sive pest. Although all this area is inhabited by the Red Fox populations in certain areas have become isolated and there are considered to be 45 sub - species scattered around the globe. This success can be put down to its adaptability, finding food in most habitats. Its normal diet consists of various small mam- mals. However it is likely to eat anything edible it comes across from fruit to carrion, bird ’ s eggs to man ’ s discarded takeaways. Its skills as hunter can be attributed to its speed, capable of running at 30mph and agility, able to leap over 6ft high fences. And also its superb sense of hearing with experi- ments showing that a fox can find a beetle from 30ft away just by sound alone. Strangely, the fox ’ s eyesight is no better than any other canid mammal, being red - green colour blind and slightly myopic, losing the ability to distinguish detail at dis- tance. However they are unique among the dog family in hav- ing vertical slit pupils. This gives them enhanced night vision and wider field of view stretching to 260 o . Territories are normally held by a family group consisting of the breeding male and female and their young. Size varies enormously dependent on the availability of food, in the UK ranging from 25Ha in urban environments to 4000Ha in the Scottish highlands. Food availability can also affect longevity with foxes in a food rich situation living for up to 15 years whereas those who have work hard to find food rarely living beyond 3 years. Cubs are born in early spring and are nursed by the female for the first two weeks. During this time she does not leave the den and fed by the male. Both parents then take a hand in bringing the cubs food until they are capable of hunting for themselves. Litters usually disperse at around 8 to 10 months old, although occasionally young animals will stay in the family group and help with raising the next year ’ s cubs. The fox appears in folklore all across its wide range. Always portrayed as sly and crafty it is considered a force for either good or evil depending on which culture you consider. Our own Reynard the Fox is an anthropomorphic animal featuring in 12 th Century European literature who is always playing tricks on other animals for his own jest. The connection goes back further than this though with many early shamanic cultures viewing the fox as an able guide in the spirit world. - Greg Belcher, Senior Reserves Officer for the Wildlife Trust BCN at Grafham Water Photo by Sarah Kelman Dingbats Can you solve our dingbats? Answers below: 1. High maintenance 2. Back to the future 3. Painless operation 4. Merry - go - round