While they tend to be more active at night, it is always a treat to observe a red fox moving about during the day. We were fortunate to watch this one at the Wildlife Center “mousing” or hunting for rodents, in one of our pollinator meadows. This behavior is not only a unique spectacle as they will leap a good distance off the ground to pounce but it is an example of a superb predator adaptation. Foxes have the ability to hear low frequency sounds quite well and will tilt their heads to follow a rodent’s movements in snow or dense vegetation with their large ears. When they pinpoint the location they leap into the air to enhance the element of surprise and reduce the likelihood of the prey predicting the direction the fox is coming from until, if the fox executes its attack successfully, it is too late. From a distance we observed this fox (that could have young nearby) catch at least one vole and pursue at least two others over the course of about ten minutes. When spotting wildlife it is always a good idea to sit and wait because sometimes they will resume activities once they get used to your presence and you can enjoy some really fascinating behavior!
View the video HERE
