Ah, I thought it was funny. Maybe js_africanus is from Australia.
Eats_Crayons, I read in a nature book that foxes actually are closer to cats than dogs. Very interesting, I thought.
We used to live in an “apartment” that was a section of an old mansion. It had been split into four living quarters. Our section of the grounds alone was absolutely enormous.
However, the place was over run with old brush and tangles of bushes and weeds. It was a haven for black snakes and mice.
But there was a fox around there a couple of times. I only saw him from far away-because my dad wouldn’t let me out if it was there.
But, I will say, my cat, Buffy, looks just like a little red fox-she’s so cute.
I’d like to have one of these.
Very interesting, yet completely false :).
Foxes aren’t even remotely more related to cats than they are other canines. Cites available on request, though I think we did this in GQ within the year.
I work graveyard shift and we have a pair of very bold Grey Foxes on site that regularly trot on by within ten feet of us. Handsome critters.
- Tamerlane
according to this foxes are taxonomically placed firmly in the order canidae which include dogs, but not cats which are in the order felidae.
Foxes are definitely canids, members of the vulpes family. They are a very old group, possibly the oldest existing canids today. They share many characteristics in common with felines, namely their ability to climb and their antisocial habits. They do not form packs in the same sense that most canines do, and they are lone hunters who prefer to ambush their prey. This shouldn’t be too surprising, since cats and dogs share a common ancestor in the relatively recent past.
Maybe you’re thinking of hyenas? They are more closely related to cats than to dogs, despite appearances and behavior, but are different enough from both to merit their own taxonomic category.
Considering that almost half of all canid species are foxes ( in several genera ), I’d hardly call them behavioral outliers from the rest of the canids :). Anyway some foxes, like the Corsac Fox, Pale Fox, Crab-Eating Fox and Bat-Eared Fox are rather more social than their American cousins ( to a degree - pair to family group level bonding - but then only 5 or 6 species of canids regularly form full packs). Also, Grey Foxes are the only really adapted climbers, with hooked, semi-retractable claws and a different limb articulation than other canids - Red Foxes will climb readily, but not as much ( or as well ) as Grey’s and other species won’t climb much at all.
I’d say that the foxes as a group are a little too diverse to call them felid-like in toto. I suppose the Grey Fox is the most felid-like of the bunch. But not if you compare them to lions ;).
- Tamerlane
I live near the Fox River on the edge of a woods, northwest of Chicago. In all the years I’ve been out here, I’ve only seen a fox twice. They’re so cool…so beautiful…but unfortunately, we’ve built up the neighborhood so much that I don’t think there are many left. I’d like to see more of them. They’re like little dog-cats!
What kind of pets do you have, js_africanus?
None, though I really do enjoy dogs and cats. We did usually have a dog while I was growing up. I’ve also had several roomates with cats and I’ve enjoyed them immensely…the cats that is. The roomates were a mixed bag… My anti-cat feelings only arise when they are outside because they are non-native and are outrageously good predators – even bottle fed ones who really don’t know how to kill properly.
It would be cool to have one of those domesticated silver foxes from Russia. I always am wondering how somebody could go about getting one.
Ok, I couldn’t resist any longer. here are my foxes.
Great photos.