Canines

There are 21 species of foxes in four genera. Foxes range in size from the 3 lb (15 kg) fennec fox (Fennecus The endangered red wolf (Canis rufus). Photograph by Tim Davis. The National Audubon Society Collection/Photo Researchers, Inc. Reproduced by permission. cerda) to the 20 lb (10 kg) red fox (Vulpes vulpes). The gray fox (Urocyon cinereargenteus) and arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) are highly valued for their pelts. Color phases of the arctic fox include the silver fox and blue fox. Species found in the United States are the kit fox (Vulpes macrotis) and the swift fox (V. velox), which live on the western plains. Other species of Central or South America include the crab-eating fox (Dusicyon azarae), the sand fox (Vulpes ruppelli), and the Corsac fox (Vulpes corsac).

Foxes have a pointed muzzle, large ears, a slender skull, and a long bushy tail. Foxes are territorial and scent-mark their territories. They use stealth and dash-and-grab hunting techniques to catch their prey. Foxes are generally solitary hunters and most species feed on rabbits, rodents, and birds, as well as beetles, grasshoppers, and earthworms. Foxes mate in winter, having a litter of one to six pups after a gestation period of 50-60 days. Besides scent marking, foxes proclaim their territory by vocalizations such as yapping, howling, barking, whimpering, and screaming.

Foxes are heavily hunted for their pelts. They also may be killed to prevent the spread of the viral disease rabies. Some efforts at oral vaccination for rabies have been successful in Switzerland and Canada.

Coyotes, jackals, the dingo, and species of wild dog comprise the rest of the canine family. The distribution of coyotes is from Alaska to Central America. Coyote populations have flourished as wolves have been eliminated. Coyotes have interbred with wolves and with domestic dogs. Coyotes prey on small animals, but will also feed on carrion, insects, and fruit. Coyotes reach maturity within a year and produce a litter of about six pups. While the basic social unit of coyotes is the breeding pair, some coyotes form packs similar to wolves and scent-mark territory. In the United States, coyotes have been responsible for considerable losses of sheep.

There are four species of jackals, which replace wolves and coyotes in warmer parts of the world. Jackals are found throughout Africa, southeastern Europe, and southern Asia as far east as Burma. The four species are the golden jackal (Canis aureus), the simien jackal (C. simensis), the black-backed jackal (C. mesomelas), and the side-striped jackal (C. adustus). The golden jackal prefers arid grasslands, and is the most widely distributed of the four species. The silver-backed jackal prefers brushy woodlands, the simien jackal the high mountains of Ethiopia, and the side-striped jackal moist woodland. Jackals have a varied diet of fruit, reptiles, birds, and small mammals.

Jackals are unusually stable in their breeding relationships, forming long-lasting partnerships. They also engage in cooperative hunting. Jackals are territorial and engage in scent marking, usually as a male and female pair that tends to remain monogamous. Jackals communicate by howling, barking, and yelping. In Ethiopia, the simien jackal is an endangered species because it has been overhunted for its fur.

Other wild canines include the Indian wild dog (Cuon alpimus) of southeast Asia and China, the maned wolf (Hrysocyon subatis) of Central Asia, the bush dog (Speothes venaticus) of Central America and northern South America, the dingo (Canis dingo) of Australia, and the raccoon dog (Nyetereutes procyonoides) of eastern Asia. In Africa, the cape hunting dog (Lycaon pictus) hunts in packs which can overpower large mammal species.