Fox
The fox is the most adaptable of our carnivores and can be found in almost every habitat in Scotland.
Foxes are mainly active at night, but may be seen in daytime:
- when undisturbed
- in the mid-winter mating period – when foxes are also most vocal
- when feeding young cubs
The basic family unit is a pair, but groups including several subordinate adults may share a territory. This territorial behaviour stabilises the population density by setting a limit on the number of animals in an area.
Foxes are usually more abundant in the lowlands where more prey is available. Fox dens – known as ‘earths’ – may be dug out from scratch where the soil type allows, or created from enlarged rabbit warrens.
Unlike badgers, bedding is not brought into the earth and fox cubs are born on bare ground. Foxes do bring food back to breeding dens, however, so fur and feathers around entrance indicate an earth rather than a badger sett.
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