I mentioned in an earlier post–the one where Mama Fox was caught red-handed burying a squirrel–that Mama Fox had cubs. We’ve counted 5!
We took these photos a couple of weeks ago. They aren’t the best, but I couldn’t resist sharing them anyway. Our fox family has taken residence under our shed, which is propped up high enough to be a perfect home for foxes.
At this stage, all they want is Mommy and playing around. The cubs are fascinating to watch, but were somewhat hard to spot for a while because their fur was brownish grey and blended into their surroundings. Now, they are getting some color. I’ve learned that as little ones, they eat earthworms and insects! Yum. But that can’t be enough to live on. We’ve seen Mama bring squirrels for them to eat. They also have had a bird or two. The cubs are still suckling, which we’ve witnessed almost daily, but we can’t seem to get the camera in time to take a snapshot! Instead, we caught a baby following Mommy after having some one-on-one playtime.
Who is this scrawny looking adult fox in the photo below? Is it Daddy? That would seem odd though. Dogs (male foxes) have more of a domed head and are larger than female vixens, yet this fox is smaller and thinner. I read that there could be multiple males and females all living together in one group this time of year, though just one female may have cubs. So maybe this is Aunt May!
Aunt May ran off into the woods after spotting me, but then this little one bolted across the yard.
Sometime later, Mommy appeared and rounded up the kiddos. The little ones are so hyperactive! I don’t know how Mommy Fox can have so much patience. She sometimes gets into the act too and plays rough with them. Not this time though.
The cubs went to their den, and then Mamma had some alone time, which she spent sniffing around.
Then she spotted me and this happened!
She bolted to the back of the yard, but then stopped to check where I was. We had a mini-staring contest. It was me who gave up (after a minute).
