Most People Don't Know These RED FOX FACTS

Wildlife guides are brilliant for identifying species that you might see whilst you're out and about but they have limited space and often only cover the basic facts about the animals that you see. In today's video I'm going to tell you eight fascinating facts about red foxes that you probably won't find in a nature guide. Red foxes rely on their brilliant senses for finding prey, communicating and for avoiding danger but you might not realize just how in tune they are. A study in 2014 took a closer look at their sense of hearing and found that they have the lowest absolute hearing threshold of any tested mammal. This means that they can detect extremely quiet sounds, more so than dogs, cats, elephants and even bats. They can hear a mouse squeaking up to a hundred feet away. To go with their super sense of hearing, red foxes are also pretty good at communicating by making sounds. They've been recorded making more than 40 different calls, each with its own meaning. During the mating season female foxes, which are known as vixens, sometimes make a high-pitched scream to attract the mate. They can also bark, chatter, whine and whimper to send each other messages. Red foxes are known to align their bodies with the earth's magnetic field when trying to ambush prey. They typically face north or northeast and it's believed that this enhances their ability to judge distances and improves their hunting success. They're successful with their hunts 74% of the time when aligned in this way, but as little as 18% of the time when not. It's thought that this is possible due to a protein in their eyes that allows them to see some of the earth's magnetic field. People often think that urban foxes are smarter than their rural cousins, but that isn't supported by science. A study by the University of Hull found that although urban foxes were faster to interact with puzzles containing treats compared to their rural counterparts, there was no difference in the time that it took them to complete the puzzles. This suggests that urban foxes are bolder, but they are not more intelligent. I've included this next fact as I found it interesting, although it may not be surprising to many people watching. The diet of foxes was analysed using compounds within their whiskers, and this found that in urban foxes, around 35% of their diet comes from people, either directly or through scavenging. This was broken down to 16% human food, like scraps from bins or food that people have put out for them, and around 19% pet food. Red foxes are known to be adaptable, so their varying diet might not be surprising, but one impact of it is. A study in Turkey found that the gut microbiomes of urban foxes were significantly different to rural animals. Those living near people had stomach bacteria suitable for a more omnivorous diet, whilst those in the countryside had bacteria for digesting carnivorous foods. The researchers suggested that over generations, this difference could lead to evolutionary changes within their anatomy, and physiologically separate urban and rural foxes. There are 45 recognised subspecies of red fox around the world, and they are the most widespread land mammal, apart from people. They are native throughout most of Asia, Northern Africa, Russia and Europe, and have been introduced to Australia and New Zealand. They are also present across North America, and until recently it was thought that these animals were the result of historic introductions, but at least in the southeast of the continent, they have been found to be indigenous. Red foxes may rely a lot on their intelligence, adaptability and strong senses, but they have also evolved to be quite athletic. Despite standing at just 50cm tall at the shoulder, foxes can jump very high compared to their size. They can easily hop onto a 2m tall wall. And when it comes to getting around on the ground, they are also pretty fast. Their top speed is around 30mph. And that's all 8. If you'd like to find out some fascinating facts about the magpie, then check out this video that's on the screen now. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you next time.