It’s mid-January and you wake up at night to the sound of a woman screaming in terror. Or… wait, that’s not a woman, is it? That’s a… bird of some kind? a Bigfoot? a mountain lion? It’s easy for our imaginations to get carried away when we hear that eerie scream in the darkness. MostContinue reading “Fox Screams: Just Looking for Love!”
Tag Archives: foxes
Why Red Foxes are Red
To human eyes, a red fox’s flame-colored fur stands out starkly against vegetation, but— believe it or not!— red foxes actually evolved their characteristic coats as camouflage. Animals aren’t capable of producing green pigment. Animals that appear green actually depend on structural coloration, or the use of microscopic physical traits to reflect green light. Scales,Continue reading “Why Red Foxes are Red”
Don’t Leave Medicine for Sick Wildlife
Have you ever heard of a doctor treating disease this way? When a doctor is in the mall and sees somebody coughing and sneezing, they don’t come back and leave a bowl of candy laced with Tamiflu. That would be a bad idea for a number of reasons. The doctor can’t make a diagnosis fromContinue reading “Don’t Leave Medicine for Sick Wildlife”
Montana’s Government Intentionally Spread Mange in Wildlife
Whenever a coyote or fox is admitted to For Fox Sake, the very first thing we do is treat them for sarcoptic mange. The few who come to us without symptoms invariably have the mites in their skin and, without treatment, will develop symptoms within a few days. No matter what part of the stateContinue reading “Montana’s Government Intentionally Spread Mange in Wildlife”
Newborn Foxes Don’t Look Like Foxes
Please be aware as we head into baby season: newborn foxes don’t look much like the adults you’re more familiar with. Every year, litters of kits get harmed because of mistaken identity. This litter was rehabilitated by The Fox Project in the UK. They were initially brought to an animal shelter by someone who thoughtContinue reading “Newborn Foxes Don’t Look Like Foxes”
Gray Red Foxes and Red Gray Foxes
Yes, you read it correctly! A lot of people in our area have trouble identifying which species of fox they have found. Two fox species are native to our area, the gray fox (on the left) and the red fox (on the right). The confusion is understandable since gray foxes have an abundance of reddishContinue reading “Gray Red Foxes and Red Gray Foxes”
Don’t Exterminate Your Exterminators
We’re so lucky that our ecosystem is full of animals who work behind the scenes to keep our homes, lawns, and gardens free of pests! One single owl, for example, can kill twelve mice per night, while a skunk will spend weeks digging up every rat’s nest in a neighborhood. Coyotes are probably the bestContinue reading “Don’t Exterminate Your Exterminators”
Why Vaccinate Wildlife?
“Why vaccinate wildlife?” This is a question we hear a lot, and it’s fair enough. After all, animals don’t get vaccines in the wild. We like to put it this way: imagine a pandemic that is nearly 100% fatal and is as contagious as the common cold. Imagine it is contagious for about a weekContinue reading “Why Vaccinate Wildlife?”
I Found a White Fox. Is it a Pet?
We’ve gotten many calls from across the country about foxes with white, black, or otherwise unusual coats, with the question, “Is this someone’s pet?” Despite their name, red foxes are some of the most variable animals on Earth, naturally coming in color phases including melanistic (black or “silver”), cross (red and black), leucistic (yellow orContinue reading “I Found a White Fox. Is it a Pet?”
The Coyote’s Violet Gland
If you’ve been lucky enough to see wild coyotes up-close, you might have noticed that many have a prominent dark spot on their tails. Just under this spot is a nifty organ called the supracaudal gland or violet gland! It gets its name because it produces a musky oil that smells very strongly like violets.Continue reading “The Coyote’s Violet Gland”
For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue 