Dogs and foxes are both members of the Canidae family of animals, but that does not make them close relatives, says Sheena Harvey.
Their lifestyles and, particularly, their relationships with humans, set them apart. Dogs – Canis familiaris – were the first domesticated species in the world, while foxes – Vulpes – have always been almost exclusively wild. And the differences don’t stop there.
How similar are dogs and foxes physically?
Some dog breeds look very like foxes – the Shiba Inu comes top of that list, alongsidevarious other breeds of Spitz and the Akita, Welsh Corgi, Samoyed, Pomeranian and even long-haired Chihuahua – but appearance is everything, and misleading if you think it makes them close cousins to the Vulpes branch of the family.
In terms of genes, personalities, habits and behaviours, dogs and foxes are very different.
What's the difference between foxes and dogs?
What do foxes look like?
Foxes are small- to medium-sized mammals, with a flattened skull, triangular face, pointy ears that stick upwards from the head, a slim, pointed snout and a long, bushy tail. They walk on their toes and have partially retractable claws.
Their coats vary in density depending on the region where they live and can be coloured red, brown, black or white, often with paler underbellies, but never with stripes or spots.
How do foxes hunt?
When hunting, foxes have a distinct style that involves pouncing on their prey from a place of concealment, landing on them with great force, gripping their necks and shaking vigorouslyto kill them. They are exclusively carnivorous, but they can survive on a varied meat diet of mammals, birds, insects, shellfish and invertebrates.
How many species of fox are there and how do they differ?
There are 12 species of true foxes in the Vulpes category, which divide into numerous subspecies. They live on every continent of the world apart from Antarctica. Although some fox species cohabit in small groups, they mostly solitary creatures. They have evolved naturally over thousands of years to adapt to the climactic conditions and food sources present in their habitats.
For example, an Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) has very small ears and very dense, multi-layered white fur to keep it warm and camouflaged in deep snow. It also has a chubby, rounded body to minimise loss of body heat, and a thick tail to protect its nose when it sleeps curled up. It has fur on the soles of its feet to protect and grip on ice.
The fennec fox (Vulpes zerda and one of the cutest animals in the world), by contrast, has enormous ears to help shed heat in its North African environment and a beige coat to blend into the desert sands and reflect the strong sunlight.
The fur on the soles of its paws is there to protect it from the searingly hot ground. It has specialised kidneys that enable it to survive on much less water than other fox species and although it will drink water if it finds it, it derives most of its moisture from its food.
Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Europe have become as close to humans as a wild animal is willing to be, because they have settled extensively in urban areas where they profit from scavenging our rubbish. They also find security for their cubs from predators in our parkland, industrial landscapes and derelict buildings.
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How did dogs evolve?
Dogs (Canis familiaris) are descended from a species of now-extinct grey wolves in northern Europe and were domesticated to become useful companions to hunter-gatherers living 14,000 years ago.
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They were bred to assist in catching food before farming became the main way of life. Thereafter they were adapted to be herders, guardians and companions, and they spread across the globe, wherever humans settled. They are even present in Antarctica, where they were taken to pull sleds.
How many different dog breeds are there?
Thanks to selective breeding ever since, dogs have taken on many different shapes and sizes, depending on their role alongside people. There are now thought to be around 450 dog breeds around the world.
Their heads can be narrow or broad, their ears pointy or flopping over, their snouts long or stubby and their legs and tails lengthy or short. There are long-haired and short-haired breeds, and some with no hair at all. Their fur comes in every shade of brown, black and white, in solid colours or with a wide range of patterning, stripes and spots.
How do dogs differ to foxes?
Like foxes they walk on their toes, but their claws do not retract. The other striking difference to other members of the Canis family is that dogs can have an erect tail, a trait not found in wolves or foxes. Dogs are omnivores and have the ability to digest and derive nutrition from plant material, and especially starch, which would not sustain a fox.
Dogs can also understand and communicate with humans, thanks to their long, close association with us. Although they are instinctively pack animals that are happiest when surrounded by an extended, hierarchical family group, dogs will treat their owners as their pack and defer to the person they regard as the pack leader.
There are no truly wild dogs in the same classification as our domestic dogs. There are feral dogs in Africa and Asia and dingoes in Australia, but these are descended from domesticated dogs that escaped or were released into the wild. The African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) are a distinct species, related but different to Canis familiaris, in the same way that jackals and Asian dholes are separate species.
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