Silver Fox

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The silver fox is a branch of Vulpes Vulpes and is the domesticated version of the more commonly known red fox. The full taxonomy is Anamalia Chordata Mammalia Carnivora Canidae Vulpes Vulpes. Vulpes Vulpes originated from the Canids, which all canines such as wolves, dogs, and coyotes diverted from (Baldwin 3). After the split from Canids the foxes split into six different genera; they are the Grey Fox (Urocyon), the Bat-Eared Fox (Otocyon), the Pampas and Sechura Fox (Pseudalopex), the Hoary Fox (Lycalopex), the Crab-Eating Fox (Cerdocyon), and the True Fox (Vulpes). In all there are twenty-three species, twelve of those being Vulpes species (Baldwin 1). Red foxes are the most widespread of all wild Canids covering seventy million square kilometers around the world. Vulpes Vulpes is found in the Northern Hemisphere and the silver fox in particular is found in Russia and other regions with cold weather. The silver fox is a discolored red fox that accounts for approximately ten percent of all the fox colorations (Nat Geo 2).

The silver fox is known to live in Russia, Canada and as far north as Alaska, however there have been sightings of them in the northern United States. The foxes are very territorial and even though they do not fight one another they mark their 2 to 6 kilometer territory with very distinct smelling urine. There can be one to five fox families per kilometer in a community.What number makes up a family? Sentence sounds like there are 1-5 different families. The silver fox has a mating season from February to April and a gestation period of fifty-one days. The silver fox usually have five kits per litter but can have up to thirteen. The average lifespan of a silver fox is three years in the wild an...

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...d foxes’ physical traits are. For example in said video the aggressive fox gives off a low groan-like noise and gets into a low attack-like position whenever a human is present. The domesticated fox is the exact opposite, it acts very much the way a dog would; it jumps up, and rolls over letting the human rub its belly and it even eats out of the human’s hand. This study shows how if you selectively breed an animal for long enough you get a fully submissive animal instead of their wild and untrusting relatives. Currently the Cornell research group are mapping the genes that make the silver fox submissive. They measure factors such as; posture, location in cage and amount of time spent in said location, and sounds the animal makes (Wakamura 3). This information leads to the group knowing which foxes to mate in order to get the most submissive animal possible.

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