The lynx is a North American wildcat related to the bobcat. These species can be distinguished visually by noting a few features. The lynx appears larger because it has longer fur and stands taller, but it weighs the same as a bobcat. Lynx's have ruffs, or tufts of hair, on their face giving the appearance of a beard. You can identify them by the black markings on the tail tip and ears.With a pounce and a hop the speedy lynx chases the bleached white hare through the bushes. Poof! The hare disappears into the shiny white powder. Then the sly lynx picks up the scent of the hare and pounces toward the small hairball. The sharp elongated claws don�t dig in, and the hare�s long slender legs launch himself out of the hole and out of danger. The swift cat swings his claws around to hit the fast hare, but he hits the snow right
under his back legs. The hare runs right between two willow trees and into a narrow opening which has a bunch of fallen willow trees. The hare has escaped from the lynx this one time, but the lynx will find other food. The lynx is a pale brown to brownish grey with black streaks on its neck, forehead, and on the back. It has a short tail, long tuffed ears, long slender legs, wide feet for control in the snow, and long very soft fur. The lynx will grow to be 30 to 40 inches long, and 24 to 28 inches high from feet to shoulders. They usually weight 15 to 45 pounds. When you see the lynx, at first sight
The
red fox
(Vulpes vulpes) has throughout history been the subject of fables and sayings, been desired for their fur, and have been blamed for many a farmer’s missing chicken, many times rightly so. A female fox, or vixen, mates in the early spring, her mate calling to her with a shrill sounding bark, she answers with a similar high pitched yelping, this being one of the few times of the year that they use this particular sounding bark extensively. In late spring a litter of up to ten kits are born, though the size of the litter is often much smaller. A fox den is often in a hollowed out stump, a dug out hole under a rock outcropping, or even a small cave. The kits quickly learn that all is not work, and playful by nature, will soon follow their mothers about. Fox will occasionally come out in the middle of the day, but normally days are spent tucked away in their dens sleeping, awaiting nightfall when they can move about more freely.
Red fox are similar in appearance to other members of the fox family, including the Arctic fox and Cross fox, but are characterized by their white tip and underside of their tail and black feet in contrast to their body color. Many people assume all red fox are red, but this is not so. A Silver fox is just a color variation of the Red fox. Other than the color of the body fur, they are the same
animals. Within this color range are often other variations also. The red color can range from a muddy brown to a deep red. A silver fox often is black underneath, with white tips of hair longer than the black, making the ‘silver’ color appear. Depending on the time of year, and the length of the fox’s fur, they can appear to be a blue, silver, black, even white from a distance. Years ago, when a silver colored pup would be noticed in the wild, they would be captured for breeding, hoping to bring this color about in quantity. After many years of this,
fur
farms solely for breeding silver fox sprang up. As the availability of this desirably colored fur became easier to get, the fad wore off somewhat, though farms still exist in modern day, as the fur color is quite beautiful.
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Hunting and trapping of the fox has been a popular sport in many countries. Hunting of the fox with dogs is common. Trapping of the animal for his fur has come, gone, and come again into modern time. The fur of this animal has been used for both its warmth and beauty, for jackets, ear muffs, gloves, stoles, and blankets.
As red fox are closely related to dogs, their young age at about the same time. By si
x weeks old, they have become miniature versions of their parents. For survival, they must learn to become the sly hunter they have been credited with being. The remaining part of the summer will be spent learning to capture the foods that make up a fox’s diet. Small rodents such as
field mice, chipmunks,
squirrels, and rabbits, birds, frogs,
insects, and berries when available; all are the mainstays of the red fox diet. Anyone glimpsing a fox in pursuit of his game will both laugh and know why they are so successful. They literally hop on all fours straight into the a
ir, pouncing down in one fell swoop on their intended prey. ‘Quick’ is another term often given to the fox, and seeing one dart about a hillside, you will know why.
Fox have memorialized the saying ‘Sly as a Fox’ for good reason. They have even been called the ‘Houdinis’ of the animal family.
Farmers throughout the ages have built better and more secure pens for their animals, simply to try to keep out the fox, often failing. Fox can seemingly get into the best handiwork a farmer can build. They can scale over, dig under, and go through, varied constructions. If a farmer’s barn happens to be in their home range, chickens and
ducks often become part of their daily diet. Eggs seem to have a draw for them also, with them eating them right in the pen.
Fables by Aesop, La Fontaine, and even modern day storyteller Walt Disney, have often included the fox. The fable ‘The Fox and the Stork’ by Aesop, tells that being tricky like a fox is not always good. La Fontaine’s ‘The Fox and the Grapes’ has b
een credited with bringing about the saying ‘Sour Grapes’. Walt Disney, not to be outdone by past storytellers, filmed the now famous ‘The Fox and the Hound’, telling of the friendship of two very unlikely animals, a fox kit and a hound pup destined to be a hunting dog of nothing less than his friend the fox.
The next time you visit the zoo, take the time to view this animal. On the other hand, if you happen to be fortunate enough, and see one romping across a field in the wild, know that you have been given a great privilege. There is nothing as delightful as a fox hopping on all four in his pursuit of his field mouse dinner!
