Foxes Will Be Your New Favorite Animals After These 15 Foxy Photos And Fun Fox Facts

The sly fox is one of folklore’s most often-recurring characters. Foxes are cunning, smart, but always out to put one over on you. We’ve all heard the expression “crazy like a fox.” But while real-life foxes are undoubtedly intelligent animals, they’re actually just as adorable as they are sharp-witted.

Granted, foxes are wild animals, so they are not necessarily friendly to humans. But that’s only because, first of all, we’re invading their homes when we wander off into the woods. And second — they’re terrified. And why shouldn’t they be? Humans have an unfortunate history of horrific cruelty to foxes.

In Britain, especially — though many other countries as well — fox hunting has a long history. Laden with rituals and traditions, fox hunts involve large groups of men on horseback who follow hunting dogs trained to sniff out foxes. The “sport” basically consists of a pack of dogs chasing a terrified fox until the little guy gets so exhausted he can’t run anymore. Then the dogs attack and kill the fox while a group of men in formal uniforms looks on.

Fortunately, fox hunting was outlawed in England and Wales in 2004 and in Scotland in 2002. But a move in underway in the U.K. to overturn those laws and bring fox hunting back.

Check out these cute and often hilarious photos of foxes, then decide whether that’s a good idea.

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Foxes are actually members of the canine family. In other words, they are closely related to your family dog. They’re also cousins of the wolf, as well.

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Not only has “foxy” come to mean “sexy” in the English language, but a sexy, strong-willed woman is sometimes called a “vixen,” which is the name for a female fox. The male is called a “dog fox.”

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Baby foxes are called “pups.” Unlike some species in which the mother alone cares for the young, in the fox kingdom, raising the children is a family affair. Both mother and father share care of the pups, and aunts, brothers and sisters help out, as well.

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Young foxes need all of that care and familial love. Foxes are born blind and deaf, as well as unable to walk.

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Foxes first migrated to North America about 11,000 years ago, but some species were later imported by European settlers, who brought over the foxes so they could hunt them down.

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Foxes are omnivores, meaning they eat just about anything from berries to mice. They store any extra food and save it to eat later.

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Foxes have whiskers on their faces, like other canines. But they also have whiskers on their legs, helping them get around in the world.

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Arctic foxes are listed as a threatened species, their beautiful white fur coats making them a favorite target of illegal poachers.

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Foxes live in holes they burrow into the ground, called “dens.” Hunters who prize foxes for their furs often send dogs into the dens to drive the foxes out to where they can be easily killed.

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Foxes rely on their incredible sense of hearing, and can hunt down prey by listening for small rodents under the ground.

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According to a Daily Mail story from 2009, a young fox in England was rescued after two weeks caught in a hunter’s trap. The young fox survived because its mother brought it food every day while the little guy was trapped.

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Foxes recognize the voices of other foxes, and can make up to 28 distinct vocalized sounds to communicate.

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Foxes hunt their prey by pouncing high in the air. They don’t always stick the landing, however.

Foxes are some of our favorite animals now. How about yours?