Who eats foxes in the wild? Fox's enemies

The fox is one of the animals that adapt very well to a wide variety of climatic conditions. Therefore, in Africa, in America, in Europe and in Asia, you can find this predator everywhere. In Europe alone, there are up to 15 subspecies of foxes, inhabiting almost all geographical zones and differing in size and color.

Description of the fox

This is one of the most common red fox. It differs from other representatives of the genus in its larger size and bright coloring.

In animals living in northern regions, the wool is a very rich, almost red color. Foxes living further south have much more modest colors. The fluffy tail with a white tip reaches 60 cm in length. On the flexible and refined body of the fox there is a neat head with a sharp muzzle and always alert large ears.

A description of a fox cannot be complete without describing its hunting abilities. Paws play a big role here. Although they appear a little short relative to their body, they are very strong and muscular. Thanks to such paws and a strong tail, the fox can make fairly large jumps in pursuit of its prey. This feature of the fox allows it to be on par with other predators in vitality. The way a fox looks externally explains its famous hunting talents.

Where does the fox live

It is believed that the fox lives in a hole. In fact, this dwelling is used only for breeding and in rare cases as a shelter from danger, and the rest of the time the foxes spend in a den located in the open, in the grass or in the snow.

They dig burrows on their own, usually on the slopes of ravines with sandy soil, but sometimes they also use dwellings that belonged to other animals - marmots, badgers, arctic foxes. The burrow necessarily has several entrance holes through which one can get into the nest through underground tunnels. An old fox, as a rule, has several holes where she can always take refuge in case of danger.

What does a fox eat?

The description of the fox characterizes it as a very dexterous and excellent hunter. The main prey of this predator are small animals - mice, hares, and sometimes reptiles. The fox enjoys catching fish, crayfish, and sometimes digs up earthworms. The diet must include berries, fruits and other plant foods. In summer, a fox can also feed on insects; its cubs especially love to feast on various bugs, large quantities exterminating pests of agricultural plants.

In winter, the main food is mouse-like rodents, the squeak of which a fox can hear 100 meters away. Photos of a predator digging up mice can be seen quite often. Foxes hunt birds very interestingly. They usually do this in pairs - one fox carries out distracting maneuvers by rolling on the ground, while the other catches the gaping birds. No wonder there is a fox in everyone folk tales personifies cunning and dexterity. You can often see fox tracks in the snow, which are difficult to confuse with someone else's. The predator places its hind paws exactly in the wake of its front paws, forming an even chain. The area where the fox hunts has its own boundaries and is carefully protected from outsiders.

Fox cubs

In the spring, from 3 to 12 small cubs are born in a fox hole. Like wolves, pups are born once a year. Newborns are very similar to wolf cubs, if you do not pay attention to the main difference, which is necessarily included in the description of a fox - the white tip of the tail. For a month and a half, the fox cubs sit in the hole, feeding on their mother’s milk, then they begin to slowly leave the shelter and even look for prey together with their parents, getting used to regular food.

IN educational process Both parents are involved. The male is an exemplary family man, carefully caring for his female and offspring. The cubs are finally released from their holes at the age of 6 months, and already next spring some of them have their own cubs. But they usually reach sexual maturity in the second year of life. Foxes live in stable pairs. If it happens that the breadwinner dies, another male takes care of the family.

The fox is of great value as a fur-bearing animal. The description of the animal necessarily mentions luxurious fur, which can be not only red, but also silver and even black. But the main thing is that the fox is a destroyer of harmful rodents and insects, which brings invaluable benefits to agriculture.

Description of the fox artistic style or scientific for children will help write essays and prepare for the lesson.

Brief description of the fox

The fox is a beautiful animal. Her body is covered with thick red fur. The fox has a luxurious fluffy tail. She has short legs and a sharp muzzle. The fox's eyes are beady and glow with a cunning fire.

She lives in abandoned burrows of gophers and badgers and prefers meadow areas. The fox feeds on mice and hares. The sleepy owner carries chickens.

Chanterelle – excellent swimmer. She runs away from her enemies in zigzags. The fox runs very fast.

The fox is the hero of many fairy tales, where it plays a not very plausible role - stealing chickens, being cunning, hunting birds, etc. In fairy tales she is called a gossip, Patrikeevna, a cheat, a prankster, etc.

Description of the fox for children

The fox likes it everywhere - in the field, in the forest, in the meadow, on the shore of a pond. It is impossible to confuse it with another animal. Well, tell me, who else has such a gorgeous red fur coat and a long fluffy tail with a white spot at the end?

Lisa is a big fashionista. She has two coats - winter and summer. Moreover, the winter one is much warmer: its fur is thicker and longer than that of the summer one.

It is to the credit of the fox that it is distinguished by great intelligence and cunning.
This animal's hearing is excellent. In winter, the fox listens carefully to different sounds and unmistakably determines where the mouse is fiddling around under the snow. The fox immediately shovels away the snow and overtakes its prey. They say that the fox “mouses.”

The fox is a typical predator. IN summer time The fox's diet consists of frogs, small birds, and animals. And if you get into the habit of running to the farm, beware! He will carry hens and cockerels.

The fox, preparing to raise her cubs, temporarily becomes a real builder. She digs (builds) long, intricate holes with several exits. You never know! But sometimes the fox is lazy. Without building anything, he uses a ready-made hole, the one dug by a badger or some other animal.

Have you heard the fox's voice? She has a sonorous voice, she “yaps.” And if it comes to a fight, the foxes squeal so shrilly that it won’t seem like much. Papa fox and mama fox - caring parents. The male takes care of the female and her cubs.

A story about a fox

Lisa is a real beauty. She has a warm red fur coat. Narrow, curious muzzle. Her ears and paws are black. But the fox is proud of his tail - big, fluffy.

The tail is also red in color, and the tip can be dark or white. When a fox runs or jumps, its tail helps it maintain its balance.

The fox is truly a smart, observant, dexterous and cunning animal. The red-haired “cheat” prefers to live not in a dense forest, but closer to the edge. Or where there are fields, ravines, small copses.

Often a fox lives next to a person - not far from a village or even a city. In order to avoid being seen by humans or relatives - dogs, both dexterity and cunning are required.

An observant fox knows: when a dog sits on a chain, you don’t have to be afraid of it. Let him lie to himself! And she minds her own business. The fox may not pay attention to people working in the field: they have no time for her.

But if she is in danger, the fox, almost stretched out running above the ground, stretching out its fluffy tail, quickly runs away. Catch the fox! Hold it! And there was no trace of her!

Sometimes hunters look for a cheat in forest thickets, along ravines, and it will run into a field sown with tall wheat or oats and hide. Very close to the village where the grief hunters live.

Some are sure that the only thing the fox does is steal chickens. Of course, a fox will not refuse chicken, but this does not happen very often. The fox's main food is mice.

The fox also hunts hares, catches birds, and destroys their nests. Will not refuse beetles and other insects. Will happily swallow a frog, lizard or snake.

The fox loves to eat berries, fruits, and some plants. Patrekeevna has a rich menu.

The fox has good hearing and sense of smell. In winter, the fox “mouses”: it runs across a snow-covered field and listens for a mouse to squeak under the snow. If he hears, he will dig up and grab the prey.

Sometimes he gets so carried away by his prey that he can let him get close to him: the fox’s eyesight is not so good.

A fox digs a hole to breed. But she doesn’t want to work herself, and she often takes over other people’s holes. But he will definitely make several emergency exits: something that never happens in life!

Fox cubs are born blind, deaf and toothless. The fox feeds them with milk. And soon the foxes both see and hear. And their teeth are cutting through.

Grown-up fox cubs do not sit in the hole for a long time. They are interested in exploring the world. But as soon as the fox barks, the fox cubs quickly hide in the hole. Or they run to mom.

Foxes do not gather in packs; they prefer to live alone.

All the children admired the red-haired beauty, the tricky little fox-sister more than once in their childhood, listening to their grandmother's fairy tales. In all stories and fables, the fox is identified with intelligence, cunning and resourcefulness. The resourceful and seductive Fox Patrikeevna will either lure cheese from a crow, or steal a chicken from her grandmother, or catch a fish with her tail. What does a fox actually eat?

Habits of a fox in the wild

The fox is an excellent predator. She belongs to the canine family, but she also has a lot from cats: grace, playfulness, and the ability to hide her claws in case of danger and even climb a tree. She has impeccable hearing. The fox hears the rustling of a mouse underground at a distance of a hundred meters! And he absolutely accurately identifies her hole. Fox hunters even have a special term “mousing”. It sounds affectionate, but it means a fox hunt for rodents. The fox will fall to the ground, listen, and then, like a stretched bowstring, it will break loose and certainly catch the mouse.

In the event of a chase, the fox runs in a straight line: the red-haired beauty flies above the ground, and the hind legs fall exactly into the tracks of the front ones. No hunter will confuse a chain of fox tracks with someone else's tracks. Having broken away from the chase, the fox will go looking for a secluded place. Despite the myth that foxes live in holes, the fox mostly sleeps under a bush. It will curl up in a ball, place its sharp muzzle on its paws, and cover itself with its tail like a fluffy blanket.

In the hole, the fox breeds its offspring, takes care of it, and until next spring it will no longer need the hole. By the way, the fox does not dig holes often, but usually uses mole holes. Sometimes he even puts up with his proximity, as long as there are emergency passages and exits.

Cute fennec fox

The appearance of foxes also changes depending on their habitat. The closer to the north, the larger and brighter the fox, but in Africa and deserts the fox is smaller and smaller, and the fur is of dull shades. But there are several signs inherent in any fox.

The fur is thick and red, of different shades. Occurs rare view black and brown fox.
White belly.
Black paws and tips of ears.
The white tip of the tail: it is by this that newborn fox cubs are recognized, so similar to wolf cubs.

Most interesting view- fox- fennec. Her ears reach 15 cm, the most big ears on the planet in relation to the body. They not only help her hear small rodents, but also save her from overheating. Foxes in the desert eat everything: plants, beetles, small vertebrates, and eggs. In times of famine they do not disdain carrion.

Red foxes and fennec foxes can be tamed. In captivity, a fox quickly becomes attached to its owner. She is as loyal as a dog and as affectionate as a cat. Feed pet the better what you eat yourself - soups, pieces of meat, fruits, vegetables. And at night the little fox will have to be hidden in a booth or cage until it gets used to it: foxes are nocturnal animals, and the little fox may not return home.

How do fox families live?

IN wildlife The fox cubs feed on their mother's milk for a month and a half, and then the fox brings them trophies from the hunt, often wounded victims, so that the fox cubs can learn. Two months after birth, the babies crawl out of the hole, play, chase butterflies, eat bugs, and destroy accessible bird nests. Soon they will be completely stronger and by autumn they will be catching mice, hunting hares and wood grouse.

Foxes live in families: mother, father and children. The fox father is an exemplary family man, he will never abandon his family and will protect it to the last. It happens that a family loses its breadwinner, and then another fox will take care of the new litter. And he will defend the interests of the family, protect the female and fox cubs, and obtain food no worse than his own.

In times of famine, foxes living near human habitation look for food in garbage dumps and steal poultry and eggs. Cases have been recorded when it was possible to feed an adult fox and she, although with caution, took food from her hands.

Who do foxes hunt and what do they eat?

Farmers and residents of surrounding villages often complain about foxes. Foxes are first-class nest robbers; they will not fail to climb into a barn and steal a well-fed chicken and duck, simultaneously eating the eggs they find. Foxes often damage crops by eating milk wheat and oats. But this is nothing compared to the benefits they bring. Foxes, along with snakes, are excellent natural regulators of rodent numbers. Every year, voles cause significant damage to crops. In those years when there are a great number of rodents, foxes come to the rescue of people.

In addition to the benefits that the fox brings agriculture, she has valuable fur. The fur of this fur-bearing animal is of rare beauty and is highly valued by manufacturers of clothing and accessories. Wild fox fur is much more expensive than captive-bred fur. And many poachers hunt for the fiery beauty in the hope of snatching a big jackpot.

Hunter, fisherman and gourmet all in one

The fox is, first of all, a hunter. Its main diet consists of mice. However, she will definitely feast on various bugs and berries. The whole family can hunt flocks of birds: one distracts, the other catches. She needs to eat 30-40 mice per day. And if there is a lot of prey, she makes a reserve. He digs a hole, compacts it with his nose, and then certainly finds his cache.

The fox's diet is varied:

Mice and all types of rodents living near it;
Beetles, larvae, bird eggs and their chicks;
Birds: both wild and domestic;
Hares: despite its agility, a fox will rarely be able to catch up with a nimble hare;
Berries and plants: not as a main food, but as a treat.

In times of famine, the fox does not disdain carrion: it eats the corpses of hares during the pestilence, as well as fish washed ashore during spawning, and dozens of plant species.

Thus, we have figured out what the fox eats; it turns out that the fox is an omnivore. Even in times of hunger, she will always find something to eat; in extreme cases, she will come to a person. Her hunting ear will be the envy of any animal, and her resourcefulness, combined with her quick reaction, provides her with food and shelter wherever she lives. Both the large fiery northern beauty and the small nimble fennec fox - both of them are masters of mouse catching and an example of family life.

Video about the nutrition and life of foxes

In this video, zoologist Gennady Kuravlev will tell and show how foxes live and what they eat in the wild:

Fox- one of the most popular heroines of children's fairy tales. But how is Lisa fairy tale image endowed with traits characteristic of these animals in reality. The fox is beautiful: a bushy tail that is slightly less than half the length of the body, a red fur coat and a roguish narrow-nosed muzzle with beautiful brown eyes. Besides Fox slim, graceful, weighs 6-10 kilograms.

What does Lisa look like?

Fox They also call her a redhead, and this is actually true, only her belly is white, gray or slightly brownish, and her chest is light. The back and sides of the Fox are colored differently in different parts: from bright red to gray.

IN northern forests Foxes are fiery red and larger, in the forest-steppe they are yellowish-gray and smaller. Greyhounds, crosses, and silver foxes are common Foxes with deviations from the usual color. Black-brown fur is the most beautiful: guard hairs with white upper parts give the fur a silvery tint.

Such Foxes began to be bred on fur farms many years ago; black-brown Foxes are very rare in nature.

Summer Fox fur hard and short, in it she looks lean, big-headed and even long-legged, it suits the Fox less than the winter one. And by autumn, winter fur grows - beautiful, thick. Fox shedding once a year - in the spring.

Fox Habits

Fox is a good hunter. In addition to observation and intelligence, she has excellent visual memory, a good sense of smell and acute hearing. The mouse squeaks barely audibly, and Fox hears a hundred meters away, a vole will rustle through dry grass under a half-meter layer of snow - and hear it. It climbs well, swims well, and is extremely maneuverable on the shore. Her ingenuity on the hunt or when escaping from pursuers is admirable.

Fox will be able to climb a tree if it is slightly inclined or branches low from the ground. The fox is very active. She knows her hunting area down to the smallest detail and systematically inspects it. Patterned chains in winter Fox tracks bizarrely cross fields, copses, ravines, getting lost on roads and paths and intertwining around stacks of straw, piles of dry soybean stalks, piles of dead wood and in other places where mice and voles live.

There was, and still is, the opinion that the main Fox food - hares. Of course, the Fox loves hare meat, but she can’t often catch up with a hare - how can she keep up with such a runner.

However, Foxes get along just fine without hare meat. It is estimated that the Fox's diet includes more than 300 different animals - from insects to large birds.

And yet the main food Foxes - rodents. They take up 80-85% of her diet. To get enough, the Fox needs to catch and eat at least two dozen mice and voles a day. And where fox feeding- and the area of its feeding area is on average 10 kilometers in diameter - there are much fewer rodents than where there are no foxes.

After the rains, the fox collects earthworms in abundance. In shallow water Fox successfully catches fish, crayfish, takes out shells. It happens that half-eaten prey remains, and then the Fox hides it, taking it to different places. Then she will certainly find these supplies and eat them.

It is characteristic that, being a typical predator, the Fox is happy to eats berries, apples, some vegetables.

Fox hunts, as a rule, at dusk and at night, during the day it can be seen only during the lean period, most often in winter, and even in summer, when fox cubs are growing.

Norami fox It is used mainly when raising offspring, and the rest of the time it prefers to rest in an open place: under the roots of an upturned tree, in a ravine, on a haystack.

Reproduction of foxes

Mating season for foxes begins from the end of January - in February, and in the north in March, although even before that you can often see a male and female in pairs. During wedding time, in March, one female is courted by several males, and fights between them are common. During the rut, Foxes are very excited, often yapping and howling, especially single ones who have not yet found a mate for themselves.

You can tell the difference between a male and a female by their voices. Female Fox makes a triple bark and ends it with a short howl, and the male barks more often and more, like a dog. Having retired, the couples play a lot, even organize peculiar dances: the Fox rises on its hind legs and walks in this position with small steps. This dance got its name from this dance. foxtrot(the word "foxtrot" is English and means "fox step").

Male foxes are good family men. They not only take an active part in raising the young, but also take touching care of their friends long before they give them adorable fox cubs: they carry food and improve their burrows.

Fox cubs There are from 4 to 12 in a litter, but most often there are 5-6. They appear after 51-53 days of pregnancy, usually at the end of April or in the first half of May. Fox cubs They are born weak and helpless, deaf and blind, weighing only 100-150 grams, but grow quite quickly. In less than a month, they can already see, hear, weigh about 1 kilogram, emerge from the hole, and soon begin to play and frolic. From now on, Fox's parents bring them half-dead game so that the fox cubs acquire hunting skills.

As soon as a person even accidentally stumbles upon a fox hole, the very next night The cubs will be transferred to another location, into a spare hole; Foxes usually have several of them on their site. If Fox cubs are in danger, adults discover something surprising presence of mind. Even when a person breaks a hole with a shovel, they try to the last to save their children - to get them out through one of the holes.

Fox trick

Sometimes you can notice in fox behavior actions that resemble episodes from fairy tales. For example, the Fox approaches the black grouse gathered at a lek in an open clearing in an amazingly cunning way: she pretends that she is not at all interested in them, and does not even look in their direction; sometimes he will lie down and take a nap, and the birds lose their vigilance and go about their business - very Lisa is a good actress.

Meanwhile, Patrnkeevna will move a meter or two towards them. Lisa spares no time in playing: sometimes such a performance lasts an hour or two. Then a few lightning-fast jumps - and the hunt is victoriously completed.

Not many animals are called by their first name or patronymic. But the Fox is often called that way. Moreover, her middle name is unusual - Patrikeevna. About 600 years ago there lived a prince named Patrikey Narimuntovich, famous for his resourcefulness and cunning. Since then, the name Patrikey has become equivalent to the word cunning. And since the Fox has long been considered by the people to be a very cunning beast, as the heiress of the famous prince, she received the patronymic name Patrikeevna.

Being a typical predator, the Fox happily eats berries, apples, and some vegetables.

Little Foxes They fight well against pests such as chafers.

Fox - omnivorous predator. There are up to 300 species of animals and several dozen species of plants that it feeds on. The fox's main food consists of small rodents. More often she eats different kinds gray voles; in the absence of them in the food, other species numerous in the area predominate. Small rodents in the fox's food constitute everywhere from a few to 100% of the dry weight and rarely less than several tens of percent of the occurrences in the analyses. The fox eats fewer birds, of which passerines, chickens and waterfowl predominate. It often feeds on insects and other invertebrates, as well as plant foods - fruits, berries, seeds and vegetative parts of plants, on the banks of rivers and inland waters - on fish, on the coasts of the seas - on waste ( sea animals, fish, echinoderms, etc.).

There is a variety of food in different geographical landscapes. In the tundra zone and taiga zone, the main food is the northern voles Microtus middendorffi, M. oeconomus, M. agrestis, and less commonly p. Cteihrionomys. Mouse-like rodents were found in food analyses: up to 93% in the Lapland Nature Reserve, up to 70% in Kola Peninsula, in 62% in the Middle Kolyma region and Kamchatka, in 90% (out of 100% of all encounters) in the Eastern Sayan (Stolby Nature Reserve), in 35-38% with a small number of small rodents in the Middle Sakhalin Nature Reserve. In the Far North, in the absence of gray voles, the fox destroys lemmings p. Lemmas (up to 67% in winter in the Lapland Nature Reserve).

With a small number of small rodents, it preys on upland birds (up to 40% of encounters in the Lapland, 24.6% in the Pechoro-Ilych, 12-14% in the Middle Sakhalin and 5.3% in the Sayan ("Stolby") reserves), white partridge , wood grouse, hazel grouse, black grouse. In some years, he often catches a white hare (up to 15% of sightings in the Lapland and up to 52.7%) in the Pechora-Ilychsky reserves). Upland birds and white hare are eaten in large quantities only during the years of epizootics and pestilence among them. Foxes in Yakutia devoured especially many white hare during the years of mass epizootics and extinction of this rodent after its fabulous reproduction in 1955-1957. More than half of the foxes studied fed on hares at this time (more than 50% of encounters in food analyzes and 96% of encounters in the excrement of two litters of fox cubs). In other years, foxes eat hares relatively rarely (in the Sredne-Kolyma region 3.9% of sightings in food, in the Sredne-Sakhalinsky reserve in summer 8% and in winter 6%; in Kamchatka and in the Stolby reserve in analyzes of several dozen stomachs and excrements No foxes (hares) were found and only on the territory of the reserve were found in 2 cases out of 8 fox food remains). On Far East important for the fox is the mass migration and throwing of red fish onto river banks during spawning - chum salmon, pink salmon, coho salmon, etc. The composition of the fox's food is unique Kuril Islands; on the island of Urup in August 1955, the main feeding ground for foxes was the sea coast. The predominant food could not be identified in the excrement and stomach contents; it consisted mainly of sea emissions and the only rodent here - the gray rat, as well as insects (24 samples of excrement and stomach contents, % of encounters):

gray rat 75
birds 88
fish 65
insects 100
crustaceans 72
sea urchins 37
plants 83

The food of the northern fox constantly contains sedges, cereals, spruce and fir needles, hazel and dwarf cedar fruits. Crowberries, lingonberries, blueberries, blueberries, raspberries, rowan berries, rose hips, hawthorns, etc. are eaten in large quantities.

In the southern strip of the forest zone of the European territory of the Union, mouse-like rodents in the years of their small numbers do not always serve as the main food. In addition to all kinds of forest-dwelling animals, foxes feed on carrion (up to 50% of the weight and up to 100% of the occurrences in food analyzes in the Moscow region in some years), often directly near human habitation, in poultry houses, in garbage dumps, they eat food and even inedible waste - scraps of belts, rags, etc.

In the forest-steppe and steppe zone The fox feeds almost exclusively on small rodents, of which the basis consists of separate background and all year round waking views. In Ukraine, mouse-like rodents were found in 91.3% of studies of fox food; out of 9 species over 7 years was eaten more often than others common vole(Microtusarvalis) - 75% in winter and 62% during the year. In the steppes of Stavropol over 4 years, only 2 species of voles were found in food - common and social (M. socialis) - in 95-100% of cases in different years. In the southeast of European territory and in the steppes Western Siberia and Kazakhstan, the main types of food are the narrow-skulled vole (Microtus gregalis) and the steppe pied (Lagurus tagurus); in the Tselinny Territory (formerly Akmola region), both species in June 1946 accounted for about 90% of the encounters in food. In the forest-steppe of the Novosibirsk and Omsk regions, mouse-like rodents during the period of a sharp change in their numbers in the food of several dozen foxes accounted for from 17 to 84% of encounters by season.

In the warm season, the fox catches various types of gray gophers. Their remains are found in the food of foxes: in Ukraine 2.3%, in the forest-steppe of the Voronezh region - up to 38%, in the black earth forb-grass steppe Stavropol Territory- 13%, in the northern forb-grass steppe Saratov region- 47% and in the semi-desert virgin fescue-feather grass steppe of the Arzgir region in the Stavropol region - 67%. In the forest-steppe regions of the Novosibirsk and Omsk regions, foxes dug up gophers even in winter (8% of encounters in stomachs).

Snakes and lizards are found in the food of foxes in the steppes of the Ciscaucasia in 30% of cases. Insects (mainly beetles and locusts) - in the Stavropol region for a number of years - 30%, and in certain seasons of the year in the Stavropol region up to 62%, in the Kyiv region - 60%, in the Saratov region - 30% and in the Tselinny region (b. Akmola region) - 50%. From plant foods, the fox eats the fruits of some fruit trees and melons, and in years of low rodent numbers, it diligently eats vitamin-rich rose hips, as well as wheat grains and sunflower seeds.

Basic food desert fox- different types of gerbils, depending on their abundance in nature. In the Volzhsk-Ural sands, the fox fed mainly on the midday gerbil (Pallasiomys meridianus) and the crested gerbil (Meriows tamariscinus). In the Kyzylkum and Karakum deserts, the great sand lance (Rhombomys opimus) is often caught, but in the spring of 1946, in the sands of the lower and middle reaches of the river. Murghab ate more midday (61% of occurrences in excrement) and less often large (25%). The weight of dry remains of gerbils in food was 84%. In the lower reaches of the river. Or for the spring and summer of 1939-1941. half of the studied foxes ate four types of gerbils, most often the great one - 5-40% in different years, less often the combed fox - up to 17%, then the midday - up to 10% and the red-tailed one - up to 15%. In southern Turkmenistan, in some breeding years of the Afghan vole (M. afghanus), the fox feeds mainly on it (up to 80% of encounters in food on the territory of the Badkhyz Nature Reserve in the foothills of Kopet-Dag). Of the jerboas, he most often catches the emuran (Scirtopoda telutri) and large species p. Allactaga. The sand hare, which is usually difficult to reach in the southern Balkhash region, is often caught by the fox during the years of its epizootic (48% of sightings in excrement in July 1939).

In years of low numbers of small rodents, insects serve as the main replacement (albeit inferior) food. In the northern semi-deserts, they account for up to 70% of the encounters in food analyzes in some years. In the deserts of the Kzyl-Orda region, the fox also feeds on phalanges, scorpions, tarantulas (up to 45% of encounters in food at Lake Telikul), in southern Turkmenistan it eats a lot of termites, beetles, locusts, etc. - up to 97% of encounters of all invertebrates in the food of foxes in pistachios (1956) and up to 98% in the river valley. Kushki (1954); for a total of 5 years - in 70.8% of cases. In Uzbekistan, insects were found in food on average 70.9% over 5 years. Quite often, the fox feeds on lizards, turtles, snakes and their eggs, destroying many vipers in the years of their mass appearance. Plant feed is also important, constituting an average of 12.8% in pistachios in Turkmenistan, and over the years up to 48% of the occurrences in the analyses. The main ones are pistachio nut - up to 74.8% of occurrences, as well as caper, watermelon, various cereals and seeds. In Uzbekistan, on average over 5 years, plant foods accounted for 74.5% of the occurrences in food, of which the main ones were grapes (20.2%), cereals, jida and others. In the Terek-Kuma sands in October 1957, a fox ate ephedra berries in abundance.

In the mountains of Crimea and the Caucasus, the fox most often also feeds on small rodents. In the mountains of Armenia near Kirovakan they were monthly for 1936-1939. 50 to 98% of dry matter weight in excrement and 65 to 100% of encounters. Eaten more often than others gray voles p. Microtus, mainly M. arvalis, but also quite often M. socialis, which, together with the bush vole (p. Pitymys) and the rare snow vole (p. Chionotnys) accounted for 85% of the specimens (out of 1727) of all mammals in these studies . Cases of eating the brown hare were rare (less than 0.1% of the weight of dry remains and 1-1.5% of sightings). In all seasons of the year, although little by little, the fox caught insects (up to 42% of encounters), mainly locusts, beetles, and grasshoppers. In the mountainous Crimea, the fox attacks young animals and weakened individuals of adult roe deer (up to 29% of encounters in food). In fruit gardens he picks up carrion of apples, pears, cherry plums, cherries, sloe, grapes and others; eats melons and other melons.

Hunting for small rodents during snow cover becomes very difficult, especially in the second half of winter when there is a lot of snow, as well as after thaws, when ice crusts form, layering the snow cover during the winter. The fox often cannot break through these crusts, and this also slows down the capture of rodents. In such years, foxes switch to any live food available to them, and in their absence, to carrion, human waste, and even animal and human feces. Everywhere in hungry years, the fox eats, and more often crushes and throws small insectivorous mammals- shrews, shrews and moles, which are usually not eaten by it, and sometimes (even less often) it eats small predators - weasel, ermine, even marten and others, which usually make up about 1% of encounters among the remains of its food. However, in the mid-30s, with a small number of small rodents in the central forest areas of the European territory of the Union small predators were eaten by foxes more often and, for example, were found in the stomachs of four foxes (out of 12 killed). During these years, the stomachs of the foxes were at times completely filled with the remains of hedgehogs swallowed along with the skin, so that the needles of these animals stuck out in all directions, protruding from under the thin wall of the stomach.

Age differences in the food of foxes are insignificant. In the steppes of the Stavropol region and in the deserts of the southern Balkhash region, the food of fox cubs is more varied than that of adults.

IN foreign countries The fox's food is also varied. The main food in Bulgaria is small mouse-like rodents, less often - the hare (11% of occurrences in food, some of them are wounded animals), then carrion, less - various birds, in summer - insects and other food, quite often - fruits, berries, melons. In Finland, the fox feeds mainly on farm waste and small mammals(hare 6%, other species less). In England, it often eats rabbits, less often hares, as well as garbage and carrion; In the absence of faucets, the main food sources are mouse-like rodents and carrion. In the eastern and middle states of the United States, foxes' food consists of rodents, insects, birds, carrion, and some other groups of animals. The main food is mouse-like rodents pp. Microtus and Peromyscus. In some places, muskrat, pheasants, locusts, and fruits are important. In the forests of Michigan, the fox often eats hares p. Sylvitagus and voles pp. Synaptomys and Microtus, also beetles, etc.

The composition of fox food varies greatly in the same area over the years and seasons, as well as among biotopes, depending on the abundance and availability of a particular food. In the chernozem forb-grass steppe of the Staromaryevsky district of the Stavropol Territory, the feeding regime of foxes changed over the years and seasons in accordance with the number of mouse-like rodents. A characteristic indicator of well-being in the fox’s diet is the reduction in the remains of secondary types of food in excrement and stomachs filled with mouse-like rodents in the years 1937/38 and 1940/41. On the contrary, the variety of residues of secondary food during the seasons of reduction in the number of small rodents and the small amount of the latter in excrement and stomachs in the autumn and winter of 1938/39, 1939/40 and the summer of 1940. indicated problems with food.

In the Kushka Valley (southern Turkmenistan), the fox’s food changed extremely dramatically with the seasons. In spring and summer, the main food was insects (97.7% of encounters), mainly termites, locusts, and beetles; small rodents were found in 1.1% of cases. In autumn and winter, insects accounted for only 58.1%, but the importance of mouse-like rodents increased (18.6%), especially the Afghan vole, reptiles and carrion; Hedgehogs disappeared and the number of passerine bird species decreased significantly.

Significantly less differences between seasons are expressed in the food of foxes in Ukraine. Over the 7 years studied, in different areas, the fox ate 118 species of animals and 25 species of plants. Summer and autumn had a greater variety of food (83 and 80 species), while spring and winter had a smaller variety (40 and 56 species). The main food group in all seasons of the year remained mouse-like rodents, making up 97.5% of encounters (among the remains of all mammals), of which voles - 76.5%.