ForFoxSake

How to Tell Red Foxes Apart from Grey Foxes

Tennessee is home to two species of fox, the red fox and the grey fox. Despite their names, color isn’t the best way to tell these beautiful animals apart! An animal can be a member of the red fox species but have nearly any color fur, including silver, white, yellow, brown, and even lavender! ThisContinue reading “How to Tell Red Foxes Apart from Grey Foxes”

Don’t “help” an injured adult deer!

It’s hard to see an injured animal without stepping in to help. But in the case of adult deer, the best way to help is to step back. Deer are extremely susceptible to a strange, complex disorder called capture myopathy. When captured, many of them simply die, even if they get the best possible care.Continue reading “Don’t “help” an injured adult deer!”

Should you move urban foxes to their natural habitat?

No one is shocked when they see rabbits, squirrels, mice, chipmunks, frogs, deer, and birds in the suburbs. Yet, when their natural predators— even the smallest of them— exist in the same environment, it nearly always leads to someone requesting that they be moved somewhere they perceive as more appropriate. Native predators like red foxes,Continue reading “Should you move urban foxes to their natural habitat?”

Are Coyotes an Invasive Species?

Coyote hunters often justify their “sport” with claims that, East of the Mississippi, coyotes are an invasive species and therefore detrimental to our ecosystem. If coyotes were truly “invasive,” that would certainly be a problem. Invasive species are animals that unnaturally enter an area due to humans, such as nutria, feral hogs, and outdoor cats.Continue reading “Are Coyotes an Invasive Species?”

5 Ways Beavers Benefit their Environment

As a classic “keystone speciesc,” American beavers are among the most important native species found on our continent. These enormous animals comprise the second-largest rodent species on Earth, sometimes weighing in at 100 pounds or more, and an impact to match their size! Here are five ways beavers are good for an ecosystem. 1. BeaversContinue reading “5 Ways Beavers Benefit their Environment”

Live-Trapping Nuisance Raccoons Means Killing Them

For raccoons in Tennessee, live trapping is a death sentence.

Crusty-Eyed Birds? Take Down Your Feeder!

If you see birds with goopy, crusty eyes, that’s a sign to take down your feeders immediately.

Do bats get tangled in hair?

Bats are victims of widespread fears and misconceptions, and these often lead to people harming them or their habitats. One common misconception is that bats frequently swoop into women’s hair and become entangled in it. In some regions, people claim that this will cause people to develop chronic headaches, lice, or rabies, while other regionsContinue reading “Do bats get tangled in hair?”

Do Opossums Spread Typhus?

The Virginia opossum’s rat-like appearance and association with filth leads many people to associate it with disease. In the last few years, many people have been alarmed by headlines about opossums spreading murine typhus in Los Angeles, and it has reignited fears about this gentle marsupial. No mammal actually spreads murine typhus. Typhus is causedContinue reading “Do Opossums Spread Typhus?”

The Rare Blue Bobcat

Blue bobcats are also called “Maltese,” a term popularized among cat breeders for blue-grey cats. As with house cats, blue bobcats happen when a bobcat is born with two copies of a gene that causes melanism (black coloration) and also two copies of the dilution gene, which lightens the animal’s fur. Both of these genesContinue reading “The Rare Blue Bobcat”