Observations - Cubs encouraged to work for food
So far this year I have made several interesting observations while out foxwatching and in the process learnt a bit more about these ever fascinating animals.
One evening I watched a vixen bringing food to the cubs. Instead of the cubs coming rushing towards the mother, as you might expect, only one popped its head out and upon seeing her, rushed underground again.
The mother then proceeded to bury the food at the mouth of one of the entrances before leaving again. Why bury the food instead of directly handing it over?
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| Vixens encourage cubs to work for their food by sniffing it out and digging around on the ground for it. |
The immediate answer I can think of, for prey being buried around the earth, is that the parent wants to make the cubs work for their food a little by sniffing it out and digging for it.
A few other times when I was observing this vixen at an earth, I noticed that the cubs would not come out unless she made a very quiet, low sound. Then they would rush out on command.
When she would make the same kind of sound again the cubs would all rush below ground. She would use a different sound if she wanted them to follow her or to stay behind at the earth.
It's amazing to see that she has all these different commands for them and has them so well trained (thanks largely to evolution, of course). I cannot distinguish one low sound she makes from another but they all seem to mean a different thing from the cubs' reactions.
If you have any interesting observations please tell us about them. You are also invited to share your observations with other readers by writing an article for the next issue of Foxwatch News.
Peter Akokan
