fox (redirected from Fox (zoology))

fox

a member of the same family as dogs, wolves and jackals, the family Canidae, but has characteristic long body and short legs, pointed snout, big, erect ears, oval pupils and long bushy tail. The type species is the Old World red fox (Vulpes vulpes). See also kit, fennec.

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arctic fox

a farmed blue or white fox. Called also Alopex lagopus.

fox encephalitis

see infectious canine hepatitis.

gray fox

gray to black, omnivorous wild fox. Called also Urocyon cinereoargenteus.

kit fox

small, yellow-brown fox similar to the red fox. Called also Vulpes velox, V. inacrotis.

Old World red fox

see red fox (below).

fox rabies

the fox is an important reservoir host for rabies, particularly in eastern and western Europe where it is endemic.

red fox

the common, sandy to red brown fox with black legs and backs of ears, white underparts, sharp muzzle, large erect ears. Mostly nocturnal, lives in burrows. Called also Vulpes vulpes, Old World red fox.

silver fox

a farmed fox with a lustrous black coat with white tips along the back; a variant of the red fox (see above).

South American fox

a group of specialized wild dogs, not true foxes, of South America. Includes crab-eating fox and maned wolf.