Clever as a Fox

We've not made life easy for wildlife in the UK let alone in London. Yet despite all the odds- miles of concrete, fake grass, brick, metal, decking, fences, cars and buses that cater for eight and a half million of us in the city, tens of thousands of the UK's red foxes have managed to outsmart us and adapt to survive here. They've been successful enough in our cities and towns to have earned themselves a new title as: the urban fox. Figures until last month showed that around 33,000 urban foxes lived in the UK but in exciting news, an up-to-date study by mammalian biologist Dawn Scott and behavioural zoologist Phil Baker, reported in April 2017 that there are now as many as 150,000 just in our urban areas. This intelligent, playful, inquisitive creature of the night has succeeded in making the most out of our remaining green spaces, peaceful cemeteries, railway tracks, rats under our sheds, scraps of food and albeit with a shorter life expectancy, raise their cubs in city dens. So, how could you not feel anything other than lucky that these beautiful mammals still want to share their space with us? Lots of city residents really don't like or are scared of them, even here where there is no conflict for protection of livestock. Although totally mind-blowing in the year or 2017, we even have a prime minister who is in favour of bringing back fox hunting as a sport whilst one of her right hand men describes them as a 'menace'- this to me feels as though some of us have lost all excitement of 'wild' in our lives.

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Their success in a wildlife-hostile city is just the start of the story. Twelve 'true' fox species (those that share the vulpes genus) and tens of other relatives from the lycalopex, urocyon and other wolf/fox like genes' are thriving across the entire planet. Not one of the vulpes family are listed by the IUCN Red List as vulnerable, never mind endangered- an outcome of their unique abilities and a sign of how special they really are. We do need though to monitor each of them, as hunting and habitat loss are still threats to these nocturnal mammals. Let's have a look at them.

Foxes of the world Arctic fox The arctic fox with it's beautiful thick, white fur is classed as least concern for conservation, with numbers in the several hundred thousands. In even better news their population status right now is classed as 'stable' and the Artic fox is hunted less for it's fur now than it has been in the past (although there is still a trade in existence). Surviving in temperatures as low as –58°F, they populate all of the Arctic, across Greenland, Russia, Canada, Alaska, Svalbard and Iceland. There is a really small population in Scandinavia of about 120. Their main pray is lemming (an arctic rodent) and the Arctic fox can fluctuate depending on the lemming populations each year.

(Photograph: Eric Kilby via Flickr)

Bengal fox Endemic to india, the Bengal fox looks relatively similar to the red fox, with red/brown fur and a paler belly. It is not classed as endangered but is threatened with habitat loss due to a rapid increase in human living and agriculture space. Their favourite habitat is short grassland, easy for digging dens and finding pray. Their population is widespread but in low densities spanning from the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal, to the southern tip of the Indian peninsula.

(Photo: Rohit Varma via Flickr) Corsac fox The corsac fox ranges across central and north-east Asia, roaming semi-arid grasslands of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and parts of Russia. Whilst there isn't an exact number on population, we know that the numbers of the Corsac fox can change drastically from year to year for the better and worse, depending on climate. This fox is also hunted 'intensively' (according to the IUCN Red List) for it's beautiful light, white and grey silver fur. Hunting was banned for a while in Russia and Mongolia but since the collapse of the Soviet Union, law changes have resulted few regulations on hunting in these countries, and there is a growing market again for the fur.

(Photo: Jacob Dawson via Flickr) Blanford's fox

Also known as the Afghan or the dog fox, the Blanford's fox is named after William Blanford, an english geologist and naturalist. They are desert foxes who live in the grasslands and mountains of Afghanistan, Egypt, Turkestan, Pakistan, Israel and Iran. As more has been discovered about their populations, they have been classed as 'least concern' for conservation and the fox is a 'protected species' in Israel. There isn't a huge pressure of human competition for habitat at present, although there is 'limited' hunting in Afghanistan for their fur.

Cape fox

The cape fox lives in the south of Africa including Zimbabwe, Botswana, and South Africa. They are also called the silver fox, because their fur can be either black or silver grey (although some can appear sandy). Another fox that holds a stable population and classed as least concern for conservation with 'no major threats'. Much like the others, they like the open grasslands and also areas of woods.

(Photo: Bernard Dupont via Flickr)

Fennec fox This unique looking desert fox's name comes from the Arabic word فنك (fanak). By far the smallest of all the fox family, their range stretches across the Sahara of and other parts of north Africa. It's giant ears can be up to half the size of their bodies and are used to radiate heat as their climate is so hot, and are brilliant for hearing prey under the desert sands. Although they are considered to have a stable wild population, they are traded as pets and may suffer future threat from human development, such as roads.

(Photo: Soren Wolf via Flickr)

Kit fox A north American fox with a rusty/grey colour who can be found across Oregon, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, California, New Mexico, and Texas as well as a population in Mexico. Like the Red Fox, the kit does pretty well in urban areas too. Their range include desert areas, so these foxes have large ears for the same reasons as the Fennec fox. Their diet is made up of kangaroo rats, prairie dogs, squirrels and insects, and has evolved to not really need a water source- it obtains most of it's water from it's pray.

(Photography: Robert Bieber via Flickr) Swift fox With it's dark grey with tan fur coat, the swift is closely related genetically to the kit fox and also occurs in north America, across Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. They had been native to Canada too, but their population had been wiped out around 100 years ago. They have now been reintroduced to around 3% of their previous range of the country. Like the others, they aren't considered endangered, but are rare in Canada and hopefully conservation and growth work will continue there.

(Photo: "Jeff" on Flickr) Pale fox

There is not a huge amount known about the Pale fox and it's population, but that it more to do with a lack of recorded information than elusiveness in it's habitat. This fox has a pale, sandy coat to blend into it's desert surroundings of upper-middle Africa, from Senegal to Eritrea. Unlike it's relatives this fox is mostly vegetarian, eating mainly fruits, berries and vegetables, but does sometimes eat rodents.

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Rüppell's fox

Named after the German naturalist Eduard Rüppell, this pale white/sandy-red member of the family is also known as the sand fox (although the Corsac and Tibetan are also known as sand foxes). It's habitat stretches north Africa from below the Atlas mountains and across to the middle east though Syria and Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Most of their habitats are sandy and rocky desert, and at present there are no major threats to this species.

(Photography: Nelo Hotsuma) Tibetan sand fox The tibetan sand fox may be seen as quite unusual looking, resembling a dog much more than the rest of it's relatives. Most foxes stay away from mountain areas, whereas the Tibetan thrives up in the mountain tops, living in altitudes of up to 5200m (most though are around 4000m) across the Tibetan Plateau, Ladakh plateau, Nepal, China, Sikkim, and Bhutan. They mostly hunt Plateau pikas (small mammals), and stay well away from human settlements. "He's the most wonderful looking fox. Squared jaw, eyes of cunning and a twisted knowing smile." - David Attenborough

And last but not least, the red fox. An amazing member of the fox family who has the largest geographical range of the entire Carnivora (a massively diverse wildlife category ranging from big cats to seals) across the world. The red fox has 45 subspecies and between them, they are present across the entire Northern Hemisphere of planet earth, from north America to Antartica and from Europe to India through tundra, desert, forest right through to city centres. This fox is the largest of all the vulpes, can produce 28 different calls of communication and due to it's incredible ability to adapt as mentioned at the start, it has totally thrived in both rural and urban areas.

The red fox is a true wildlife survivor on a human built planet, and even if only for that, they deserve respect and admiration. Whether you live in a city or rural countryside, invite the foxes near you to share the space that you likely without realising took from them in the first place. Work to a shared space that works for the both of you, feed them, watch them and bring a bit of wild into your life, because you are so lucky to have them.