Ecologists did an animal tracker in the mountains of Nevada. They found a strange "triangular relationship" between black bear, coyote and grey fox .
When bears are infested, gray foxes roam in bear territory, but coyotes don't.
When winter comes, the black bear goes to to hibernate . At this time, the coyote will come to the bear's territory and drive the gray fox away.
Then why does this happen?
Some people say that it is related to the distribution of food, some people say that the place for bears is more suitable for winter, and some people joke,
——The gray fox is protecting the cubs, "Fox fake bear power" it!
Baby gray foxes are mostly born in April and May. About four weeks after birth, they venture out of the den to explore the territory. (Grey foxes are weaned only ten weeks after they were born)
said it was exploration, and it "falls into a box" accidentally - coyotes, the most common predator of grey foxes.
As mentioned earlier, when black bears are infested, coyotes rarely get close to their territory. Although the reason is unknown, if the fox can pretend to be a "bear", it will undoubtedly greatly expand the living space of the gray fox baby.
Of course, even borrowing "Xiong Wei" is not absolutely safe.
In addition to coyotes, lynx , great horn owl and golden eagle all prey on grey foxes, especially their young.
Even if the wolf eats the fox, how come even the owls come to bully us?
——Because the gray fox is very small,
adult gray fox and a 1.8-meter person
also has a small advantage, that is, conceals .
Not to mention predators, even ecologists with professional equipment have a hard time finding these little guys.
Grey foxes are so anxious that they even climb trees, but honestly they are not so skilled, and often "roll over" when they come down...
Before the cubs became independent, the grey fox's father was responsible for solving the food problem, and the mother was responsible for taking care of the baby
- Yes, the Grey Fox will form a monogamous family and work together.
Even if the mate dies, the grey fox needs to "delay" for a few years before finding a new partner
- and the grey fox's lifespan in the wild is only about 16 years.
The baby gray fox develops very quickly. When it is four months old, it is basically independent and can hunt by itself.
cottontail rabbits are their favorite~
What if you can't catch rabbit ?
is not a big problem. Grey foxes belong to omnivores . They eat basically everything, vegetables, insects, birds, small frogs...
They especially like to eat fruits, so take a look at one and eat one.
Finally, in case you're wondering:
- gray fox can't be pet
