Why foxes are awesome

Unlike their close relatives the wolves, dogs, and jackals, foxes are not pack animals. They live in small family units while raising their young, but otherwise live and hunt alone. The cute little Fennec fox weighs just pounds, with a body length of inches. They are a desert fox, with soft, light colored fur to keep their temperature well-regulated, and 6 inch-long ears that also help regulate their body temperature.

The Grey fox is the only member of the dog family that can climb trees. They will climb trees to escape enemies, hunt prey, or even just take a snooze.

And hero dogs! And sloths! What we're trying to say is: We are somewhat plugged into what the Internet loves when it comes to animals. Corgis had their moment , as did huskies , hedgehogs and squirrels. Now we think it's time for the next animal to have their time to shine: foxes. And how can you not love them? We're currently obsessed with them, and here are 14 reasons why:.

They're cute and they're playful! Just look at these baby foxes running around! And they are even cuter when they become friends with other animals. Foxes, specifically red foxes, are highly territorial. In the event another fox intrudes into its territory, foxes are likely to chatter loudly back and forth in defense of their home. Watch this video to hear a variety of red fox chatters. Unlike their coyote and canine relatives, foxes are solitary creatures.

Their impeccable hearing helps them to identify prey underground. That, in combination with their sensitive hearing, makes them pretty fierce predators. Watch a red fox catch a mouse in the snow, here. Foxes love to play. Foxes play alone, with other foxes and other animals — even deer! If anything, it makes for some adorable backyard entertainment. While there are a variety of fox species all over the world, only two call the Carolinas home: the red fox and the grey fox.

Red foxes can be red, grey, black or even white. Some key identifiers of a red fox are its black legs, black-tipped ears, white-tipped tail, and dog-like face. They can grow up to 20 inches in height and weigh up to 35 pounds as an adult. Grey foxes can also be different colors, such as red, grey or brown. The grey fox has a black-tipped tail and a dark stripe down its back.

It also has a more cat-like face than the red fox. Red foxes are superior hunters and, to make matters worse, they also eat Arctic foxes. None of this bodes well for the Arctic fox's future. Since the 16th century , fox hunting has been a popular activity in Britain. In the 19th century, the upper classes turned fox hunting into a formalized sport, where a pack of hounds and men on horseback chase a fox until it's killed.

Today, whether to ban fox hunting continues to be a controversial subject in the UK, where many people see foxes as pests. Currently, fox hunting is allowed with two dogs if the fox is damaging your property. They can jump three feet in the air and climb fences and over roofs. They also have impressive endurance: One Arctic fox walked miles , from Norway to Canada, in three months.

That's over 30 miles a day. In Western culture, foxes have long been called wily, clever, and cunning. This isn't a compliment, however, as these foxes were portrayed as deceptive tricksters only out for themselves. This attitude may reflect the fox's adaptability, nocturnal habits, and tenacious ability to get into a hen house or evade hunting dogs. Certainly foxes still outwit humans on a regular basis.

In one video, an Arctic fox appears to play dead to escape Siberian fur trappers—proving itself to be one sly fox. A study looking at urban foxes in London revealed something surprising: They are starting to look more like domesticated dogs. Compared to their rural relatives, London foxes have shorter snouts and smaller brains.

While it's unclear why this is, the strange part is that the foxes are doing this to themselves. The bat-eared fox is aptly named, not just because of its 5-inch ears, but because of what it uses those ears for—like the bat , it listens for insects. On a typical night, it walks along the African savannah, listening for prey digging underground.

Although the fox eats a variety of insects and lizards, most of its diet is made up of termites. In fact, the bat-eared fox often makes its home in termite mounds, which it usually cleans out of inhabitants before moving in.

The fox was sitting on a rocky cliff gazing curiously at the ship anchored offshore. The fox's greatest threats are habitat loss and rabid dogs. Foxes make 40 different sounds, some of which you can listen to here.

The most startling, though, might be its scream. A version of this article was originally published in ; it has been updated for BY Joy Lanzendorfer. A red fox.