Content deleted Content added
described the fact it is a triple tautonymn Tags: Reverted Visual edit |
DreamRimmer (talk | contribs) m Reverted edits by 178.131.96.145 (talk) (HG) (3.4.12) |
||
Line 21:
}}
The '''red fox''' ('''''Vulpes vulpes
The red fox originated from smaller-sized ancestors from Eurasia during the Middle [[Villafranchian]] period,<ref name=k115/> and colonised North America shortly after the [[Wisconsin glaciation]].<ref name=kurten1980>{{Cite book|title=Pleistocene Mammals of North America |last1=Kurtén |first1=B. |last2=Anderson |first2=E. |name-list-style=amp |date=1980|publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=9780231037334 |pages=96, 174}}</ref> Among the true foxes, the red fox represents a more progressive form in the direction of [[Carnivore|carnivory]].<ref name="mammals-of-ussr">{{cite book |last1=Heptner |first1=V. G. |last2=Naumov |first2=N. P. |title=Mammals of the Soviet Union |date=1998 |pages=115, 341–365, 453–502, 513–562 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden |isbn=978-1886106819 |url=https://archive.org/details/mammalsofsov211998gept/page/115}}</ref> Apart from its large size, the red fox is distinguished from other fox species by its ability to adapt quickly to new environments. Despite its name, the species often produces individuals with other colourings, including [[Leucism|leucistic]] and [[Melanism|melanistic]] individuals.<ref name="mammals-of-ussr"/> Forty-five [[subspecies]] are currently recognised,<ref name=msw3/> which are divided into two categories: the large northern foxes and the small, [[Basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] southern grey desert foxes of Asia and North Africa.<ref name="mammals-of-ussr"/>
|