What does the fox eat? What does the fox eat in the forest in winter?

Fox is a very beautiful predator with a long fluffy tail. The muzzle is long and narrow, and her eyes are very cunning. In size, this predator resembles a dog. The color of the fox varies from fiery-red to gray. In the steppe it is gray-yellow, and in the north - almost red. The fox is a common fox with slight deviations from the usual color. Fur of these animals is considered the most beautiful, so they have long been bred on farms.

Where does this predatory beast live? The fox lives in Asia, America, Europe and even in Africa. She perfectly adapts to various conditions. The fox is a cunning animal. She can embark on various tricks to get her own food.

Ration predator

And what does the fox eat? Although it is a predator, its diet includes a variety of foods. Of course, meat is the basis of its nutrition.

Note that the list of food of this animal includes more than 350 varieties of small mammals, different rodents (especially from the family of voles) and birds.

Winter diet foxes

What does the fox eat in the winter and how does it catch its prey? According to research of specialists, the largest population of foxes lives where there is a large number of representatives of voles. Such rodents for them are the most accessible kind of food, especially in the winter season, when it is most difficult to get food.

Hunting foxes in field mice is a very interesting process. The Fox quietly moves through the snow, listening to the squeaking of its potential victim. Having scented the rodent and figuring out the location of his rod, he quickly dives into the snow with his nose, helping himself to get his paws to the prey.

The main role in this matter is given to the factor of surprise, because the mouse, in spite of its excellent hearing, can not always foresee the appearance of the fox, as a result of which it can not escape the teeth of the predator.

Recently, zoologists have come up with a term that characterizes this process - mouse-picking.

The fox in the forest in winter bypasses plantations in search of fallen birds, the shore of reservoirs, and she does not disdain waste and carrion.

In the natural environment, the basis for feeding the fox is hares, the above-mentioned mice and other small rodents. In addition, this predator with great pleasure is eating a bird. Avoiding the teeth and claws of a fox feathered helps their ability to fly. In danger remain eggs and chicks, who have not yet learned to flit, like their parents.

The fox can be produced either by a small bird, or by a large bird, for example, a wood grouse or a wild goose. The main assistant of the predator in search of food is her sensitive nose, which at long distances smells the scent of a rodent or other prey.

Some foxes, despite the fact that they are afraid of human habitats (villages, etc.), still decide to visit the hen houses in the settlements located next to the forest. At night or late in the evening they enter the barn, grabbing, for example, a chicken by the throat and swiftness takes it to the forest.

Of course, predators rarely decide on such a dangerous maneuver, as a rule, this happens in the winter, when it is very difficult to get food.

What does the fox eat in the forest? Hares. These animals occupy an important place in the diet of the fox. Undoubtedly, the easiest prey are bunnies that have not yet learned to develop enough speed in an attempt to escape from a predatory beast. A fox, having discovered a hare hole, can immediately destroy all the litter.

Do not disdain these predators and corpses of rodents in the case of hare moraine. Some representatives are not afraid to attack and on larger animals, for example, on young roe deer.

Predator's diet in the desert

What does a fox feed on in desert and semi-empty areas eat? The basis of the diet is reptiles (non-venomous snakes, lizards and others). In Canada, in its northeastern part, zoologists have repeatedly observed how foxes caught fish from the salmon family, although not alive, but dead. In the summer, these predators with great pleasure can eat large beetles, larvae and other insects. After the rain, they collect earthworms.

Food in the taiga

What does the fox eat in the taiga? In such places the predator is very difficult to survive, as there is not much mining. In the tundra zone, the predator eats passerines, grouse, and less often - duck birds. In addition, the red cheat hunts small rodents. As a rule, there are few foxes in the taiga, as it is difficult to survive here. These predators prefer to settle in the steppe zone in open areas, plains and in ravines.

Plant food

What does the fox eat, in addition to all of the above? Vegetable food is also present in the diet of these animals. As a rule, those red predators that live in the southern regions consume it. They prefer berries (especially blueberries, lingonberries) and fruits, as well as some vegetative parts of edible plants.

Note that such food serves, rather, an addition to the basic diet, it will never become the main dish in the diet, because the fox is by nature a predator, and hence a meat-eater.

What does the fox eat in the spring-summer period?

At this time of the year, foxes especially need good nutrition and plenty of prey. After all, now they are in charge of the cubs. By the end of March, babies are born after an eight-month pregnancy. As a rule, five or six small foxes are born. The first 1.5 months of the young are fed by mother's milk. At the age of two weeks, the kids already see, then the period of rapid development begins, by the end of April or the beginning of May they crawl out of the burrow, play with each other, and tired, lay on the grass and lie quietly, basking in the sun. At the same time, parents accustom small foxes to ordinary food, they bring live prey, so that the youngsters feel the excitement of hunting for such food.

Caring for the offspring can push the fox to attack a large beast, which is difficult to overcome. Scientists have documented cases when this predatory beast gnawed a swan.

The fox very often comes up with very original ways of extracting food. For example, it was observed that predators at a safe distance follow the plow of the tractor, which at night plows the field. It turned out that the foxes were so caught by voles, whose burrows opened in the process of plowing. With the accidental death of this predator (the animal fell under the plow), people saw in his stomach as many as sixteen rodents. This observation allowed scientists to conclude that rodents are the basis of the fox diet.

Feeding the fox at home

Wild fox can be der And at home, but for this it is necessary to create special conditions for her, as well as to ensure proper nutrition. The best option to keep such a predator is the enclosure, in which there will be a house for rest and sleep of the beast. Now let's talk about feeding.

Although the fox is an omnivorous animal, it is better to feed it with quality dog food at home and supplement it with fruits and berries.

A small conclusion

Now you know what the fox feeds in winter, spring and other seasons. We also examined the diet of this predator in the taiga and forest. As you can see, the feeding of a fox in wild conditions, as a rule, depends on the place of its dwelling. Although always the basis of its diet are small mammalian animals, and plant foods and insects are only a supplement.