The world is filled with a lot of interesting animals and one of the most interesting is the fox. Even though the fox sometimes gets a bad reputation as being a scavenger, it is one of the smartest animals in the world.
Similar to other animals, there are lots of different types of foxes. At the same time, there are a few foxes that rise above the rest. What are the top nine foxes and what makes them so special? It is time to highlight some of the most magnificent creatures in the world.
Quick Navigation
The Arctic Fox
The Arctic Fox is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful foxes in the world. This fox is also known as the snow fox, the polar fox, and the white fox. The marquee feature that defines the Arctic Fox is its beautiful, white coat. It is one of the thickest coats in the world.
This allows it to stay warm in the Arctic Circle. Given the name, it should come as no surprise that this is home to arctic foxes. In this part of the world, temperatures regularly below minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
While this temperature will be unsurvivable for most other animals, the arctic fox is different. It has a number of mechanisms that allow it to keep warm.
Some of the other features that ensure the Arctic Foxes able to stay warm in this area include its short snout and short legs. This allows the Arctic Fox to keep most of its body heat in its chest and abdomen, where its internal organs reside.
Furthermore, the Arctic Fox also possesses a light blue-gray coat that allows them to blend in with the snow of the Arctic Circle. As a result, the Arctic Fox is able to hide from predators as it goes about finding food.
When the weather starts to heat up, the Arctic Fox can actually change the color of its coat. It starts to grow brown hair that allows it to remain camouflaged even when there is not a lot of snow on the ground.
Another unique feature of the Arctic Fox is that it tends to live alone. Other foxes tend to live in packs, which makes it easier to hunt. This is not the case with the Arctic Fox. As a result, this is another feature that sets the Arctic Fox apart from its cohorts.
The Blanford Fox
The Blanford Fox is a small fox that is commonly found in Central Asia and the Middle East. The Blanford Fox can be found inhabiting the steppes, mountains, and semiarid locations in Egypt and Afghanistan. The species can also be found in several areas throughout Asia.
The Blanford Fox has hairless footpads along with claws that look like those of cats. Some people have said that the claws are semi-retractable. These claws allow the Blanford Fox to climb rocks and make jumps of close to ten feet with ease.
The Blanford Fox also has a large, bushy tail that acts as a balancing mechanism, helping it remain upright as it runs.
The Blanford Fox is also an omnivore. The Blanford Fox tends to eat ripe melons, chives, and seedless grapes. In addition, this fox can be seen munching on insects.
The Blanford Fox has large ears that help it dissipate heat and remain cool. The Blanford Fox usually has a light tan coat along with a white belly. There is usually a black tip on its tail. In the past, the Blanford Fox was endangered.
Now, the Blanford Fox has been downgraded to a state of least concern thanks to the discovery of new populations spread throughout the Middle East. The Blanford Fox is hunted in some areas of the world of its soft fur.
The Crab Eating Fox
Another popular fox is called the Crab Eating Fox. Also referred to as a Crab Eating Dog or the Savanna Fox, this animal is a member of the dog family. It is commonly found in grassy areas or in the forests.
It grows to around two feet in length and has a tail that is about a foot in length. The coat tends to be brown and is sometimes tinged with a little bit of yellow.
Usually, the Crab Eating Fox lives alone; however, it can occasionally be found in pairs. This comes in contrast to other species of fox that tend to live in packs or families.
This fox is endemic to the central area of South America. While the fox was once more widely distributed, it is now found almost only in this part of the world.
Even though the fox is still common in this part of the world, it is protected by local authorities, as there are concerns that the population might be threatened.
Similar to other foxes, the Crab Eating Fox spends most of its days in hiding. It is a nocturnal animal that emerges from its burrow at night. It eats a varied diet that commonly includes fruit, turtle eggs, small animals, insects, and fowl.
In some countries, the Crab Eating Fox is also kept as a pet. In some parts of the world, the Crab Eating Fox is also hunted for its fur, which is known to be soft.
The Fennec Fox
Another popular fox is called the Fennec Fox. This is a fox that is native to North Africa and the Sahara Desert. This fox is very easy to spot because it has giant, oversized ears that are going to give it away instantly.
Of course, with such large ears, Fennec Fox also has exceptional hearing. This allows it to pick up on its next meal no matter where it is. Because of the nature of the Sahara Desert, most animals live underground.
As a result, the Fennec Fox has to be able to listen to its prey as it shifts underneaths the Earth. Its exceptional hearing means that it is exquisitely tailored to living in this unique environment. It is able to find food with ease even in one of the most hostile places on the planet.
Furthermore, the Fennec Fox also uses its large ears to help regulate its body temperature. Of course, the Sahara Desert is one of the hottest places on Earth.
Its ears are a great tool for venting body heat and trying the Fennec Fox can remain comfortable as it moves from place to place at high speeds. In addition, the light, cream color coat that Fennec Foxes possess also helps them stay cool.
The light coat also makes it easier to spot the Fennec Fox as it roams the desert.
Finally, the kidneys of the fennec fox are also unique. The kidneys regulate the body’s concentration of ions in water, ensuring that the fennec fox able to survive in some of the hottest places on the planet.
If the Fennec Fox gets dehydrated, its kidneys will hang on to more water and pump out more ions to keep it healthy. In this manner, the fennec fox is a unique animal and has a special spot on this list.
The Gray Fox
When people think about foxes, there is probably an image that comes to mind of an orange-gray fox that is popular in movies. More than likely, this is the Gray Fox. The Gray Fox can be found throughout North America in southern Canada.
As a result, it should come as no surprise that this is a stereotypical Fox. The Gray Fox has been around for close to four million years. This is one of the most versatile, durable creatures in the world.
It is easy to identify the Gray Fox because it tends to have a black, white, and orange speckled coat along with a tail that is usually tip black. Furthermore, this is one of the only foxes that is able to climb trees with ease.
The Gray Fox can commonly be found running through fields, sleeping on branches, and lurking in the woods. It has a versatile diet that allows it to thrive in a variety of conditions.
Furthermore, the Gray Fox uses its sharp claws to climb trees where it hides from predators. Sometimes, the Gray Fox can be seen trying to track prey that climbs into trees as well.
There are even some people who have tried to domesticate the Gray Fox; however, its home is in the wild. Its luscious fur coat makes it one of the most beautiful foxes in the world.
The Kit Fox
The Kit Fox is a fox that has a unique body. While most foxes have bodies that tend to resemble dogs and cats, this fox has a very slender body. Its head is large and its ears are just as big.
Furthermore, the Kit Fox has a long tail that usually comes with bushy fur. In general, the Kit Fox is gray with a tail that has a black tip. Among the various fox species, the Kit Fox is among the smallest. At the same time, this fox also has the largest ears of foxes.
The Kit Fox can be found in multiple areas throughout North America. This is a fox that is usually found in the southwestern United States. On the other hand, Utah is also a common location for these foxes to be located.
Furthermore, this fox can be found in Mexico as well. In general, this is a species of fox that prefers to live in warm areas. As a result, they are able to thrive in the desert.
Similar to other foxes, this species tends to be more active at night. On occasion, they can be found during the day in order to establish their territory.
At the same time, this species is not as protective of its territory as other species of foxes. In general, this fox is curious about the environment and they pay attention to what happens in the area.
This box tends to feed on rabbits, bugs, rodents, fish, and even small birds. These foxes tend to hunt in packs.
The Red Fox
One of the most common foxes in the world is also one of the most beautiful. The Red Fox is the most widespread type of fox on the planet.
This means that there are numerous variations of red foxes spread across the Earth. This breed of fox can be found in Asia, Central America, North Africa, and even the Arctic Circle.
One of the reasons why it is so special is that it can survive in a wide variety of environments. It is a beautiful, tough creature that can stand up to extreme heat and extreme cold.
In this manner, the red fox has the ability to survive in forests, mountains, deserts, grasslands, the suburbs, and more. They are incredibly adaptable, allowing them to seamlessly blend in with the world around them no matter what the conditions might be.
Furthermore, Red Foxes are among the best hunters in the world. They are extremely agile and can jump to great heights, allowing them to track prey with ease. This allows them to not only survive but thrive under just about any conditions.
Finally, they are also able to maintain their balance easily. They have a giant bushy tail that they can move from side-to-side to make sure they stay upright as they move about the world around them.
What really makes the Red Fox special is its beautiful coat. It has a thick coat of fur that is able to keep it warm the matter where it goes, including the Arctic Circle.
Many people have fallen in love with the Red Fox for its gorgeous appearance. For this reason, the red fox is a special preacher and has a firm spot on this list.
The Rüppell’s Fox
The Rüppell’s Fox, which also goes by the name of the Rüppell’s Fox sand fox, is a species that is found in the desert regions of Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa.
The Rüppell’s Fox is named after the naturalist Eduard Rüppell, who was from Germany. The Rüppell’s Fox grows to a length of 18 inches and tends to weight about 7 pounds.
Similar to other foxes, the Rüppell’s Fox is an omnivore, meaning it eats both meat and vegetables. The Rüppell’s Fox tends to eat rodents, small animals, nuts, vegetables, and fruit. The Rüppell’s Fox is also nocturnal, similar to other foxes, meaning that it is more active at night.
During the day, the Rüppell’s Fox tends to hide in burrows in the desert as it hides from not only the heat but predators as well.
The Rüppell’s Fox is hunted not only by people (for its fur) but also by owls and other birds of prey. There are also five separate subspecies of the Rüppell’s Fox that tend to vary slightly in their appearances.
The Rüppell’s Fox can be spotted with a sandy or silver-colored fur. There is usually a pale underside. The Rüppell’s Fox has a tail that usually has a white tip.
Furthermore, the Rüppell’s Fox also tends to have black markings on their muzzles. The male and female Rüppell’s Fox tend to look relatively similar.
The Rüppell’s Fox is listed by the IUCN as being in a state of least concern. This means that although the Rüppell’s Fox is not endangered, it is still being watched by the authorities.
This is because the Rüppell’s Fox has a large number of predators and has been hunted by humans in the past. This fox is one of the most recognizable species of foxes in the world and is a common sight in deserts scattered throughout the Middle East and Asia.
The Swift Fox
The Swift Fox is a unique species that is far less common than some of the other species on this list. In general, the species tends to live for about 5 years.
It reaches about 1 foot in height and weighs about seven pounds. This is one of the smallest species of foxes on the planet. In the past, it was widely distributed anywhere from Texas to Southern Canada.
During the past few years, the population of these boxes had been reduced by about 40 percent. Even though these foxes used to be very common in North Dakota, they have all but vanished.
This was once an endangered species due to the rapid growth of predators in the local area. During the past few decades, there have been programs introduced to control the population of predators in the area.
At one point, the population of Swift Foxes was driving. Sadly, this is no longer the case. In Canada, the species is labeled as endangered. Globally, the Swift Fox is no longer considered an endangered species. At the same time, it still has a spot on the list.
Males and females tend to be of different sizes. The male is slightly larger than a female. On the other hand, the coloring of the Swift Fox is the same from male to female.
The fur is usually a light gray with streaks of tan, orange, and brown on the side of its legs. The tail also has a darker tip. Finally, the snout and ears of the Swift Fox tend to have darker markings as well. The tail is very fluffy and voluptuous.
The ears are larger when compared to the rest of the body. The Swift Fox is usually nocturnal. During the day, it usually remains in its den; however, when it is warm outside, they can sometimes be seen running around.