These are real red fox skulls! They were purchased from a First Nations family at a Canadian pow wow and are roughly 14cm long.
Thanks to its uncanny ability to adapt to new surroundings, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is one of the most widespread carnivores in the northern hemisphere, ranging from as far north as the Arctic circle to as far south as North Africa, Central America and Asia. It has also been introduced to Australia, where it had a negative effect on the local fauna. It is the largest species of fox, with their average weight being 2.2 to 14 kg (4.9 to 31 lb).
Their diet is omnivorous, mostly consisting of small rodents, birds and sometimes even smaller ungulates. They will also eat berries and are able to sustain themselves exclusively on fruit during the fall months. Red foxes are incredibly acrobatic hunters. pinpointing the location of their prey through sound, and leaping onto it from up to 5 feet, using their tails to steer in mid-air. Considering the size of their usual prey, that’s quite impressive. A lot of these foxes have settled into urban centers, with London, England and Melbourne, Australia having the largest population.
Urban foxes are usually the largest because they don’t fear humans and enjoy an abundant supply of food from human waste without threat from predators they usually face in the wild, such as wolves, jackals and coyotes. It’s speculated that city-dwelling red foxes are evolving into a whole new species of fox, not only because of larger size, but also their aptitude at learning new survival skills necessary in an urban environment.
