Fox Predators

Fox Dangers and Predators

The fox may be fast and have great senses, but that doesn’t mean they don’t become prey themselves. There are a variety of different predators that find them to be a nice meal. Since the fox is medium sized, it makes a good enough meal for many animals. At the same time it isn’t too heavy for them to be able to successfully take down.

The types of predators that a fox will have around depends on the environment they live in. Since the fox is found in locations throughout the world what one many have to worry about may not exist in the territory of another. Bobcats and the lynx are animals that live in many of the same areas as the fox. They are very skilled hunters with powerful jaws. They often hunt the fox with a high level of success.

Panthers are another cat that is very large and powerful. They too are very skilled hunters. The fox has no chance of surviving such a predator unless it is able t outrun it. However, the panther is often there waiting for the right moment to pounce. They have the element of surprise on their side so the fox will likely never know it is there until it is too late.

Even though the wolf is also in the canine category, it will hunt the fox. Since the wolf lives in a pack and has many members, they are able to circle around the fox from different locations. They move in, forming a tight circle so that the fox has no method for escape. Since a fox isn’t going to be enough to feed  all of them though, they will often go for larger prey.

Yet they will take the opportunity to feed on the fox when other food sources are scarce. That is why in some areas they are often consumed by wolves but in other regions they aren’t bothered with. The wolf is a very wise hunter and will do what it can in order to provide enough food for the entire pack.

These different types of predators seem to be dropping in numbers out there in the wild. As a result of that the fox has less to worry about. It has resulted in an increase in their numbers in many regions. In fact, areas where the wolf once was found but no is gone, the fox populations have doubled or tripled. Experts believe this is linked to the wolves being predators of the fox in those areas when they did live there.

Humans are the biggest predators that the fox as to deal with. With the natural predators the fox has a reasonable chance of escaping in many instances. That isn’t the case though when they are up against humans. Usually the humans win because of the technology that they have.

They use a variety of weapons for hunting with rifles being the most common. They also set traps for the fox to get them without damaging the fur. Others lay poison for them to eat and then wait for them to die. Even though it is illegal in many areas to kill the fox without a hunting tag people continue to do so. Stopping the poaching of them is extremely difficult to enforce.

Others are killed by accident when they are crossing roads at night. Then they get struck by vehicles traveling at fast speeds. In many areas this is a common reason for them to be killed because humans are moving into the territory that once belonged to them and other animals.