Foxes

The Dog that Acts Like a Cat

Foxes are card-carrying members of the dog family, but they operate on cat software. Like cats, foxes have vertical, slit-shaped pupils that help them hunt in the dark. They also have whiskers on both their snouts and their front legs to navigate through thick brush. While most dogs are strictly ground-dwellers, the gray fox has curved, semi-retractable claws that let it scramble up tree trunks like a squirrel to escape predators or nap in high branches.

Earth’s Magnetic Target System

To hunt a target it cannot see, the red fox relies on an invisible superpower. It does this every winter. When a mouse scurries beneath three feet of snow, the fox tilts its head, listening for the tiny rustle of paws. But hearing is only half the trick. Foxes use Earth’s magnetic field as a targeting system.

Evidence suggests foxes see the magnetic field as a shadow or light spot in their vision. When the shadow aligns with the sound of the prey, the fox knows it is the perfect distance away to strike. It leaps high into the air, diving nose-first through the snow. When jumping toward the northeast—aligning with the magnetic field—foxes land their target nearly 75 percent of the time. If they jump in other directions, their success rate drops to just 18 percent.

Built for Extremes

Foxes live everywhere from sizzling deserts to freezing tundras, and their bodies adapt like specialized gear. The fennec fox lives in the Sahara Desert and weighs less than a laptop. Its giant, six-inch ears act like built-in radiators, releasing body heat into the air to keep the fox cool. On the flip side, the Arctic fox has short, stubby ears to keep heat locked inside. Its thick fur coat changes color from brownish-gray in the summer to snowy white in the winter, acting like a winter camouflage suit that makes them invisible against the snow.