Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes

[auscraft]

Animal: Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes
Location: Mt. Perry, QLD
Time of year: Spring
Terrain conditions: Open forest at edge of pature clearing

Picture:

View attachment 907

Name of collector and date of collection: Auscraft Sept. 2011

 

[Dusty Miller]

Is that a piece of brown beetle in the near end. The foxes really add new meaning to "pinch one off"

 

[Dusty Miller]

The composition of the scat may change over the seasons.

Here, mostly beetle carapace are visible. This was taken in summer, so beetle numbers, especially in areas with a lot of acacia, are very high.

There is also some grasses or other vegetaton visible, with an occasional grasshopper leg. The foxes success in Australia is in part due to the varied diet in can exist on.

 

[Hairyman]

Thats pretty rough fibre in his diet!

 

[Dusty Miller]

I don'tt think their teeth are well suited to chewing the fibres, probably ate it to get the taste of beetles and bugs out of his mouth

 

[Hairyman]

Coarse hair/fur and a lower jaw of an as yet unidentified animal in fox scat.


Pic by Hairyman South Burnett, August 2012.

 

[speedy]

around here (Nthn Vic) it's common to see Fox turds with grape (Vitis vinifera)
seeds and skins in them during grape season,
and for as long as there are dried fruits hanging on the vines.

While in the vineyards, they'll chew irrigation lines for a drink and cause a bit of havoc.

also, during summer when in fruit, they'll have plenty of Nitre bush or Dillon bush (Nitraria billardierei)
seeds and skins in them too.

 

[Quinkan]

looks a bit like bandicoot jaw but I could easily be wrong.

Thanks for the post, I know they're vermin but I kind of enjoy seeing the odd basil brush around.

Strangely, saw heaps of them outside nw brissie but very few on this side of the ranges. Had one up my hill last year but only saw him the once, suspect was driven out or taken down by the dingo horde that increases a lot a year or two after the big floods...all that extra foods.

You take a good photo, thanks for sharing.