The Bengal fox feeds on rodents, reptiles, crabs, termites, insects, small birds, and fruits. Scats of young pups appeared to show that they fed mainly on rodents but are opportunistic feeders.
Diet
Bengal fox
Bengal fox | Diet
Rodents, reptiles, crabs, termites, insects, small birds, and fruits. It feeds on rodents, reptiles, crabs, termites, insects, small birds, and fruits. It feeds on rodents, reptiles, crabs, termites, insects, small birds, and fruits. It feeds on rodents, reptiles, crabs, termites, insects, small birds, and fruits
how long does a red fox live in the wild
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In the wild they typically do not survive past 5 years of age.
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what is red fox?
user
It is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora.
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where did it originate?
user
The species is Eurasian in origin.
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how did it evolve?
user
It is considered a more specialised form of "Vulpes" than the Afghan, corsac and Bengal foxes in the direction of size and adaptation to carnivory.
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what is the appearance of this third type of fox?
user
It is a relatively small fox with an elongated muzzle, long, pointed ears, and a bushy tail about 50 to 60% of the length of the head and body.
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where is it found?
user
he Bengal fox is distributed throughout much of the Indian subcontinent with the exception of the wet forests and the extreme arid zone.
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what does this fox eat?
user
The Bengal fox feeds on rodents, reptiles, crabs, termites, insects, small birds, and fruits. Scats of young pups appeared to show that they fed mainly on rodents but are opportunistic feeders.
Bengal fox | Diet
The Bengal fox is distributed throughout much of the Indian subcontinent with the exception of the wet forests and the extreme arid zone. Its range is bounded by the Himalayas and the Indus River valley. Its preferred habitat is short open grassland, scrub or thorn forest. It appears to avoid steep terrain and tall grassland. It was considered to be a habitat generalist, but it shows a strong preference for semiarid, short grassland habitats at multiple scales.
Bengal fox | Distribution and habitat
The Indian flying fox is frugivorous or nectarivorous, i.e., they eat fruits or drink nectar from flowers. At dusk, it forages for ripe fruit. It is a primarily generalist feeder, and eats any available fruits. Seeds from ingested fruits are scarified in its digestive tract and dispersed through its waste. It is relied on for seed propagation by 300 plant species of nearly 200 genera, of which approximately 500 economically valuable products are produced in India. Nearly 70% of the seeds in Indian flying fox guano are of the banyan tree, a keystone species in Indian ecosystems. Although initially thought to be strictly frugivorous, it has been observed deliberately eating insects and leaves.
Indian flying fox | Diet
The Indian flying fox also eats flowers, seed pods, bark, cones, and twigs. Their diet changes seasonally, with a greater reliance on mango fruits for moisture in the autumn and spring. A species of ebony tree (pale moon ebony tree) provides dietary fiber year-round. Yellow box eucalyptus and Chinese pistache provide necessary carbohydrates, fats, iron, and phosphorus in the winter.
Indian flying fox | Diet
This species is herbivorous. They eat fruits of the Manilkara genus and the Pandanus genus, including screw-pine and thatch screwpine. When eating a piece of fruit, they will suck out the juices and discard the rest instead of consuming it entirely. They consume ornamental plants including Agave americana. They are also known to eat ferns, based on the presence of Asplenium spores in their guano. Other components of their diet include soursop fruit, sugar-apples, banana fruits, leaves, and flowers, traveller's palm flowers, giant white bird of paradise flowers, pitahaya fruit, Indian-almond fruit, Java apple fruit and flowers, guava fruit, weeping paperbark flowers, Albany bottlebrush flowers, litchi fruit, key lime fruits, Meyer lemons, pomelos, grapefruit, amanatsu fruit, sweet oranges, tangerines, mangos, figs, and Chinese mulberries.
Bonin flying fox | Diet
The Bengal fox ("Vulpes bengalensis"), also known as the Indian fox, is a fox endemic to the Indian subcontinent from the Himalayan foothills and Terai of Nepal through southern India, and from southern and eastern Pakistan to eastern India and southeastern Bangladesh.
Bengal fox | Introduction
More commonly, however, it also eats insects, rodents, bird eggs, and carrion as a part of its diet. It can probably survive for long periods of time without drinking, subsisting on the water in its food.
Sechuran fox | Behavior and diet
Bengal foxes are mainly crepuscular in their habits. During the heat of the day, they hide under vegetation or in subterranean dens that they dig. The dens are large and complex with multiple chambers and escape routes. They are sometimes seen basking at a vantage point around sunrise or sunset. In captivity, the lifespan is about 6 to 8 years.
Bengal fox | Behaviour and ecology
The diet varies in different parts of its range and at different times of year. It consists mainly of mammals, birds, arthropods, bird eggs, reptiles, fruit and carrion. The main prey items seem to be small mammals, especially rodents. Fruits eaten include "Cryptocarya alba", "Lithraea caustica" and "Prosopanche spp".
South American gray fox | Diet
Darwin's fox has a vast diet. In dense forests, where it exists, the foxes hunt for mammals, reptiles, beetles, and invertebrates. Sometimes it selects fruits and berries. Birds and amphibians to a lesser degree are also consumed. It sometimes eats carrion, but it mostly eats live animals and fruit. This makes it mostly an omnivore, sometimes a scavenger.
Darwin's fox | Diet
"Vulpes bengalensis" is a relatively small fox with an elongated muzzle, long, pointed ears, and a bushy tail about 50 to 60% of the length of the head and body. Its dorsal pelage is very variable, but mostly grayish and paler ventrally; its legs tend to be brownish or rufous. It is more daintily built than "Vulpes vulpes". The tail is bushy with a prominent black tip which distinguishes it from "V. vulpes". Back of ears are dark brown with black margin. Its rhinarium is naked and the lips are black, with small black hair patches on upper part of nuzzle (shaft) in front of eyes.
Bengal fox | Appearance
The ears have the same colour as the nape or maybe darker, but not having a dark patch as in "V. vulpes". Extensive variation in coat colour exists across populations and seasonally within populations, but generally varies from grey to pale brown. The head and body length is , with a long tail. Typical weight is . The genus "Vulpes" can be separated from "Canis" and "Cuon" in the Indian region by the flat forehead between the postorbital processes and not inflated by air cells. The processes themselves are slightly concave with a raised anterior edge (convexly round in other canids).
Bengal fox | Appearance
The Indian flying fox is found across the Indian Subcontinent, including in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Tibet, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It roosts in large, established colonies on open tree branches, especially in urban areas or in temples. It prefers to roost on tall trees with small diameters, especially canopy trees, and prefers to be in close proximity to bodies of water, human residences, and agricultural land. This habitat selection is highly dependent on food availability. For example, many residences within the bat's distribution have outdoor gardens that support its generalist frugivorous feeding habits. This tendency to support a generalist frugivorous diet through habitat selection also leads it to commonly roost in highly fragmented forests, where the variety of plant species allows it to better utilize its feeding habits.
Indian flying fox | Distribution and habitat
Bengal monitors tend to remain active the whole day. Large adults may ascend vertical tree trunks, where they sometimes stalk and capture roosting bats. The species is a generalist, and feeds on a varied diet of invertebrates and vertebrates. Invertebrate prey mostly consists of beetles and their larvae followed by orthopterans, but also maggots, caterpillars, centipedes, scorpions, crabs, crayfish, snails, termites, ants, and earwigs. Larger individuals in addition to invertebrates also eat a large amount of vertebrate prey, including toads and frogs and their eggs, fish, lizards, snakes, rats, squirrels, hares, musk shrews, and birds. Hares and rodents such as Indian bandicoot rats are often caught by digging them out of their nests.
Bengal monitor | Feeding
The fennec fox is an omnivore, feeding on small rodents, lizards, geckos, skinks, small birds and their eggs, fruits and also some tubers. It relies on the moisture content of prey, but drinks water when available. It hunts alone and digs in the sand for small vertebrates and insects. Some individuals were observed to bury prey for later consumption and searching for food in the vicinity of human settlements. In the Algerian Sahara, 114 scat samples were collected that contained more than 400 insects, plant fragments and date palm "Phoenix dactylifera" fruits, remains of birds, mammals, squamata and insects.
Fennec fox | Hunting and diet
This species primarily feeds on flowers, nectar and fruit. When all three food items are available, flowers and nectar are preferred. The pollen, nectar, and flower of coconut and durian trees, as well as the fruits of rambutan, fig and langsat trees, are consumed. Flying foxes will also eat mangoes and bananas. With fruit, the flying fox prefers the pulp, and slices open the rind to get it. With durian tree flowers, the flying fox can lick up the nectar without doing apparent damage to the flower. The large flying fox is a host of the Acanthocephalan intestinal parasite "Moniliformis convolutus".
Large flying fox | Biology and ecology
The Sechuran fox is nocturnal, and spends the daylight hours in a den dug into the ground. It is generally solitary, although occasionally seen travelling in pairs. Pups are born in October and November, although little else is known of its reproductive behavior. The fox is an opportunistic feeder, and its diet varies widely depending on the season and local habitat. It has been found to feed on seed pods, especially those of the shrub "Prosopis juliflora" and of caper bushes, as well as the fruit of "Cordia" and mito plants, and is capable of surviving on an entirely herbivorous diet when necessary.
Sechuran fox | Behavior and diet
Lack of habitat protection is perhaps the greatest threat to the Indian fox. For example, in southern India, less than 2% of potential Indian fox habitat is covered under the existing protected area network of the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh . Hunting for its skin and flesh, as well as conversion of its grassland habitat to agriculture, industry, and increasingly bio-fuel plantations, have affected its population density. In addition, its body parts are used in traditional medicine, and in some areas it is eaten. They are hunted by the "narikuruva" tribes of southern India. In Karnataka, they are captured in rituals conducted during Sankranthi.
Bengal fox | Threats
Foxsnakes are strict carnivores. Their primary diet consists of mice and other small rodents, but they will take any prey small enough to swallow whole, including young rabbits, frogs, fledgling birds and eggs. As constrictors, they subdue their prey by squeezing it between their coils.
Pantherophis vulpinus | Diet
Consumption is also reported in three provinces of South China and one province in Southwest China. Hunting may be sustainable, though, with some researchers positing that habitat loss and roost disturbance are much more damaging to its populations.
Indian flying fox | As food and medicine
The spectacled flying fox's natural diet is rainforest fruits, riparian zone flowers, and flowers from Myrtaceae (primarily "Eucalyptus" and "Syzygium" species) and fruits from the Moraceae (figs) and Myrtaceae (primarily" Syzygium").
Spectacled flying fox | Diet
Its diet includes mice, ground squirrels, rabbits, hares, bird eggs, and insects, and it has claimed habitats in open areas, golf courses, drainage basins, and school grounds.
Fox | Urban foxes
Their primary prey consists of birds, rodents, hares, fruit, carrion, and insects, although they also eat lizards, armadillos, snails and other invertebrates, lambs, and the eggs of ground-nesting birds. Their primary predators are pumas, domesticated dogs, and anacondas, most notably the yellow anaconda.
Pampas fox | Behavior and diet
Ezo red foxes range widely from grassland to alpine belts in Hokkaido. They mainly eat rats, mountain hares, birds and insects. They also eat fruit and nuts in autumn. In tourist spots and in some urban areas there are individuals who feed on the street. They have also been observed feeding on the placenta of cattle in pastures or at disposal facilities. They dig holes or tunnels to make their lairs. The females give birth to kits in the early spring, which are grown and independent by late autumn. Males act independently and do not contribute to the raising of offspring.
Ezo red fox | Ecology
Its diet consists of plant matter such as fruit and flower blossoms, including the blossoms of coconut trees. It has been known to be infected by the blood parasite "Mycoplasma mariboi", a kind of Rickettsiales.
Big-eared flying fox | Biology and ecology
In Pakistan, its populations have declined. This has been partly attributed to the belief that its fat is a treatment for rheumatism. Tribes in the Attappadi region of India eat the cooked flesh of the Indian flying fox to treat asthma and chest pain. Healers of the Kanda Tribe of Bangladesh use hair from Indian flying foxes to create treatments for "fever with shivering." In Pakistan and India, Indian flying foxes are more likely to be killed for medicine than for bushmeat. However, the meat is consumed by indigenous tribes of India. Its meat is traded locally in small markets, and is not considered of significant economic importance.
Indian flying fox | As food and medicine
Rüppell's foxes are omnivores, with a diet that varies considerably depending on what is locally available. In some regions, they are reported to be mainly insectivorous, especially feeding on beetles and orthopterans, while in others, small mammals, lizards, and birds form a larger part of their diet. Plants eaten include grasses and desert succulents, along with fruits such as dates, and they have also been known to scavenge from human garbage.
Rüppell's fox | Diet
The red fox is considered a more specialised form of "Vulpes" than the Afghan, corsac and Bengal foxes in the direction of size and adaptation to carnivory; the skull displays far fewer neotenous traits than in other species, and its facial area is more developed. It is, however, not as adapted for a purely carnivorous diet as the Tibetan fox.
Red fox | Evolution
The canine teeth are longer.
Bengal fox | Appearance
Red foxes are omnivores with a highly varied diet. Research conducted in the former Soviet Union showed red foxes consuming over 300 animal species and a few dozen species of plants. They primarily feed on small rodents like voles, mice, ground squirrels, hamsters, gerbils, woodchucks, pocket gophers and deer mice. Secondary prey species include birds (with passeriformes, galliformes and waterfowl predominating), leporids, porcupines, raccoons, opossums, reptiles, insects, other invertebrates and flotsam (marine mammals, fish and echinoderms). On very rare occasions, foxes may attack young or small ungulates. They typically target mammals up to about in weight, and they require of food daily.
Red fox | Diet, hunting and feeding behaviour
Small flying foxes feed mostly on the fruit of native and introduced trees but also consume flowers and nectar. The diet includes pawpaws, mangos, jambul, bananas, figs, flowers of the kapok tree ("Ceiba pentandra") and the banyan, tree and flowers and fruits of cultivated crops. They consume about half their body weight each day. These bats become sexually mature at about one year of age. The breeding season varies according to location and the gestation period is about 200 days. A single pup is born which is weaned at about six weeks but remains dependent on its mother for a further four months or so.
Small flying fox | Biology
Diet may differ based on season and locality, for example, they often forage for fish and aquatic insects in streams during the summer, and individuals in Andhra Pradesh eat mostly frogs and toads. Bengal monitors will also scavenge carrion, and sometimes congregate when feeding on large carcasses such as that of deer. In areas where livestock are common, they often seek out dung to forage for beetles and other insects.
Bengal monitor | Feeding
The Tibetan fox is restricted to the Tibetan Plateau in western China and the Ladakh plateau in northern India. It occurs north of the Himalayas in the northernmost border regions of Nepal and India, across Tibet, and in parts of the Chinese provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, Xinjiang, Yunnan and Sichuan. It primarily inhabits semi-arid to arid grasslands, well away from humans or from heavy vegetation cover. It lives in upland plains and hills from elevation, and has occasionally been sighted at elevations of around .
Tibetan fox | Distribution and habitat
The gray fox is an omnivorous, solitary hunter. It frequently preys on the eastern cottontail ("Sylvilagus floridanus") in the eastern U.S., though it will readily catch voles, shrews, and birds. In California, the gray fox primarily eats rodents, followed by lagomorphs, e.g. jackrabbit, brush rabbit, etc. In some parts of the Western United States (such as in the Zion National Park in Utah), the gray fox is primarily insectivorous and herbivorous. Fruit is an important component of the diet of the gray fox and they seek whatever fruits are readily available, generally eating more vegetable matter than does the red fox ("Vulpes vulpes").
Gray fox | Diet
It has been observed to visit the flowers of the kapok tree "Ceiba pentandra" and it is believed to pollinate this tree.
Madagascan flying fox | Ecology
The tiger is a carnivore. It prefers hunting large ungulates such as chital, sambar, gaur, and to a lesser extent also barasingha, water buffalo, nilgai, serow and takin. Among the medium-sized prey species it frequently kills wild boar, and occasionally hog deer, Indian muntjac and grey langur. Small prey species such as porcupines, hares and peafowl form a very small part in its diet. Because of the encroachment of humans into tiger habitat, it also preys on domestic livestock. Bengal tigers occasionally hunt and kill predators such as Indian leopard, Indian wolf, Indian jackal, fox, mugger crocodile, Asiatic black bear, sloth bear, and dhole.
Bengal tiger | Hunting and diet
Hoary foxes are nocturnal, and largely solitary outside of the breeding season. They mainly eat insects, especially termites and dung beetles, but also may eat rodents, small birds, and fruit. Individuals have widely varying home ranges, depending on the local environment and reported examples are as follows: for 1 adult female in southern Bahia, for a group consisting of an adult breeding pair and 5 juvenile offspring in a pasture of Minas Gerais, and for 2 breeding pairs out of 3 study groups from pastures in eastern Mato Grosso.
Hoary fox | Behaviour and diet
Fox snakes are constrictors and primarily feed on mice and other small rodents. They may also consume young rabbits, frogs, and eggs.
Pantherophis ramspotti | Diet
The white-footed fox ("Vulpes vulpes pusilla"), also known as the desert fox, is a small, Asiatic subspecies of red fox which occurs throughout most of northwestern Indian subcontinent, Pakistan's desert districts from Rawalpindi to Rajasthan and Kutch in India, Baluchistan, southern Iran, and Iraq. It is mostly found on sand-hills or in the broad sandy beds of semi-dry rivers, and only very rarely in fields, and then in the vicinity of sandy tracts.
White-footed fox | Introduction
Diet includes fruit, flowers, nuts and tree bark. Some subspecies are omnivorous, also eating insects and bird eggs.
Indian giant squirrel | Behaviour
In cities, red foxes may scavenge food from litter bins and bin bags, although much of their diet will be similar to rural red foxes.
Red fox | Distribution
The giant golden-crowned flying fox is largely frugivorous, though it also consumes plant leaves (folivorous). One study found that it is particularly dependent on "Ficus" fruits (figs), with "Ficus" seeds found in 79% of all fecal pellets. Especially common "Ficus" seeds were from the "Urostigma" subgenus (which includes "Ficus" species commonly referred to as banyan), as well as "Ficus variegata". The results support that the primary food group is composed of fig species, including "Ficus subcordata" and unidentified leaves. There is a lack of consensus on whether items found frequently in the fecal samples are actually prioritized or found as an alternative food for these bats.
Giant golden-crowned flying fox | Diet and foraging
Food habits of fox squirrels depend largely on geographic location. In general, fox squirrel foods include mast, tree buds, insects, tubers, bulbs, roots, bird eggs, seeds of pines and spring-fruiting trees, and fungi. Agricultural crops such as corn, soybeans, oats, wheat, and fruit are also eaten. Mast eaten by fox squirrels commonly includes turkey oak ("Quercus laevis"), southern red oak ("Quercus falcata"), blackjack oak ("Quercus marilandica"), bluejack oak ("Quercus incana"), post oak ("Quercus stellata"), and live oak ("Quercus virginiana"). In Illinois, fox squirrels rely heavily on hickories from late August through September. Pecans, black walnuts ("Juglans nigra"), osage orange ("Maclura pomifera") fruits, and corn are also important fall foods.
Fox squirrel | Diet
It is similar in habits to the hill fox, but its diet is more carnivorous than that of other subspecies, and its prey is more restricted to gerbils and sand rats, due to the more barren habitat it occupies.
White-footed fox | Behavior
The Indian flying fox ("Pteropus medius", formerly "Pteropus giganteus"), also known as the greater Indian fruit bat, is a species of flying fox found in the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the largest bats in the world. It is of interest as a disease vector, as it is capable of transmitting several viruses to humans. It is nocturnal and feeds mainly on ripe fruits, such as mangoes and bananas, and nectar. This species is often regarded as vermin due to its destructive tendencies towards fruit farms, but the benefits of its pollination and seed propagation often outweigh the impacts of its fruit consumption.
Indian flying fox | Introduction
Cape foxes are omnivorous and will eat plants or animals. Although they prefer invertebrates and small mammals such as rodents, they are opportunists and known to hunt and eat reptiles, rabbits, spiders, birds, and young hares. They will also eat eggs, beetle larvae, and carrion, as well as most insects or fruits. Cape foxes have been reported to be able to kill lambs up to three months of age, although this is a rare occurrence.
Cape fox | Diet
Foxes make a wide range of vocalizations. A chattering cry is the most common call. They also growl, whine, whimper, and bark. The Bengal fox does not appear to have latrine behaviour, a feature seen in some social canids, in which all members defecate at specific spots. They can be heard howling in the night in groups.
Bengal fox | Communication
Like most foxes, the swift fox is an omnivore. Rabbits, mice, ground squirrels, birds, insects and lizards are staples. Grasses and fruits round out its diet. However, like any efficient forager, the swift fox takes advantage of seasonal foods. During the summer, adults eat large amounts of insects, including beetles and grasshoppers, and feed their young with larger prey items. Deer and other carrion killed by other animals may also be important food sources.
Swift fox | Diet
Confirmed food sources of the Vanikoro flying fox include coconut flowers, coconut nectar, and fan palm flowers.
Vanikoro flying fox | Diet
The Madagascan flying fox roosts during the day in large trees in colonies of up to 1000 individuals although 400 is a more normal number. The bats are noisy and easily disturbed, and if roused, the whole colony may move off to an alternative roost site. Most roosts are in isolated trees in degraded areas. The diet mainly consists of fruit juice which is squeezed from the fruit in the mouth. In the process many seeds are swallowed and dispersed to other areas as they pass through the animal's gut. Other tree products are also eaten, including leaves, flowers and nectar.
Madagascan flying fox | Ecology
This genus is omnivorous and prone to scavenging. The foods of choice for "Vulpes" consist of invertebrates, a variety of small vertebrates, grasses, and some angiosperms. The typical intake per day is about 1 kg. True foxes exhibit hoarding behavior or caching where they store away food for another day out of sight from other animals.
Vulpes | Diet
It primarily feeds on Afghan voles. When these are scarce, it will target invertebrates such as termites, beetles and grasshoppers. Plant food eaten by the Turkmenian fox includes pistachios, capers, watermelon, various grasses and seeds. Unlike most other red fox subspecies, the Turkmenian fox often hunts during the day, thus coinciding with the activity patterns of great gerbils. It may build temporary burrows in its desert environment, dug with an entrance facing south in order to shield itself from northerly winds. Turkmenian fox burrows have 3–5 entrances, but those located in appropriated gerbil colonies may have up to 15. Its reproduction is much more prolonged than that of northern foxes; pairs are formed in November, and begin mating throughout December and January.
Turkmenian fox | Behaviour
This fox is a mostly solitary animal, but may form loosely-knit social groups of a few individuals. They are nomadic, temporarily occupying defined home ranges. Its diet consists of rodents, birds, and fish as well as some desert vegetation or even carrion. They are most active at night. The small foxes open the eyes after 10 days from birth. Arabian foxes live in various environments, including mountains, coasts, deserts, and cities.
Arabian red fox | Behaviour and ecology
Black flying foxes eat pollen and nectar from native eucalyptus, lilypillies, paperbark, and turpentine trees. When native foods are scarce, particularly during drought, the bats may take introduced or commercial fruits, such as mangos and apples. This species had been known to travel up to a night in search of food. In residential areas, the species has adapted to eating introduced cocos palm trees as a substitute for scarcer native species - and now accounts for around 30% of the animals' food source. However, the high acidity of the palm fruits can prove toxic and may lead to death.
Black flying fox | Diet
Flying fox disperse seeds by dropping the seeds as they eat fruit, or through their feces. It takes 12–34 minutes for food to pass through the digestive tract of the species.
Sulawesi flying fox | Ecology
The Nicobar flying fox ("Pteropus faunulus") is a species of flying fox in the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to India. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical swamps. It is threatened by habitat loss due to forest clearing.
Nicobar flying fox | Introduction
Colonies of the Pemba flying fox roost during the day in large trees, emerging at dusk to forage for fruit such as figs, mangoes and breadfruit. They also eat leaves, flowers, pollen and nectar. Seeds that they swallow pass through their guts and are dispersed to other locations. Young seem to be born between June and August and become independent several months later.
Pemba flying fox | Biology
Flying foxes consume 25–35% of their body weight daily. They are generalists that will consume a variety of items to meet their nutritional needs. Food items include fruit, flowers, nectar, and leaves. They will sometimes deliberately consume insects such as cicadas as well. In Australia, eucalypt blossoms and pollen are preferred food sources, followed by "Melaleuca" and "Banksia" flowers They feed on a wide variety of crops as well, causing conflicts with farmers. Crops eaten by flying foxes include sisal, cashew, pineapple, areca, breadfruit, jackfruit, neem, papaya, citrus, fig, mango, banana, avocado, guava, sugar cane, tamarind, grapes, and more. In captivity, the recommended diet for flying foxes consists of two-thirds hard fruits like pears and apples and one-third soft fruits.
Pteropus | Diet and foraging
Like other megabats, commonly known as fruit bats, the Aldabra flying fox is herbivorous. It has been observed eating fruit from the evergreens Calophyllum inophyllum and Mystroxylon aethiopicum, the Indian almond, and fig trees such as the giant-leaved fig, Ficus rubra, and Ficus reflexa. The bat also eats flowers from the coconut tree and sisal plant and the leaves of the grey mangrove tree. It has been observed licking honeydew produced by scale insects infesting fig trees; rats exhibit the same behavior.
Aldabra flying fox | Biology and ecology
The Bengal fox forms pair bonds that may last a lifetime, but extra-pair copulations are known to occur. Throughout most of its range, the mating season starts in autumn (usually October–November) and after a gestation period around 50–60 days, two to four pups are born in a den. Both parents participate in pup-rearing. The pups are fully weaned about 3–4 months after emerging from the den. Pup mortality is high during the first few months. Pups may sometimes be nursed by multiple females. During the day, they tend to rest under shrubs and bushes, except in summer when they rest in dens.
Bengal fox | Reproduction
It has large eyes, simple ears, and no facial ornamentation—a typical appearance for a species of the genus "Pteropus". The skull is oval-shaped and the greatest length of the skull is . The orbital rim of the skull is incomplete. The ears lack a tragus or antitragus and are ringed, and the ears range in length from in length. The dental formula is . The first upper premolar is absent, the canine is pronounced, and the molars have a longitudinal furrow.
Indian flying fox | Description
It is a sociable species which lives in large groups. It can reach 350 g in weight and has a wingspan of 90 cm. At night, the bats forage in dry woodland for fruit of various trees, such as tamarinds, rose-apples, mangoes, palms, and figs. Like many other fruit bats, they squeeze out the juices and soft pulp, rarely swallowing the harder parts. Observations in captivity show each dominant male gathers a harem of up to ten females, with which he roosts and mates. Subordinate and immature males tend to roost in another part of the camp.
Rodrigues flying fox | Ecology
The kit fox is mostly a nocturnal animal, but sometimes ventures out of its den during the day. It usually goes out to hunt shortly after sunset, mostly eating small animals such as kangaroo rats, cottontail rabbits, black-tailed jackrabbits ("Lepus californicus"), meadow voles, hares, prairie dogs, insects, lizards, snakes, fish, and ground-dwelling birds. It will scavenge carrion. While primarily carnivorous, if food is scarce, it has been known to eat tomatoes ("Lycopersicon esculentum"), cactus fruits ("Carnegiea gigantea") and other fruits. Different kit fox families can occupy the same hunting grounds, but do not generally go hunting at the same time.
Kit fox | Diet
During winter, in the colder parts of their distribution range, they may take shelter and go through a period of reduced metabolic activity. They are not territorial, and may change their range seasonally in response to food availability. They are usually shy and avoid humans. They have keen eyesight and can detect human movement nearly 250 m away. When caught, a few individuals may bite, but rarely do so. Although they are found on agricultural land, they prefer forests with large trees. Generally, high ground cover with large trees are favorable areas. Captives have been known to live for nearly 22 years.
Bengal monitor | Ecology and behaviour
The bat-eared fox is predominantly an insectivore that uses its large ears to locate its prey. About 80–90% of their diet is harvester termites ("Hodotermes mossambicus"). When this particular species of termite is not available, they feed on other species of termites and have also been observed consuming other arthropods such as ants, beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, millipedes, moths, scorpions, spiders, and rarely birds, small mammals, reptiles, and fungi (the desert truffle "Kalaharituber pfeilii"). The insects they eat fulfill the majority of their water intake needs. The bat-eared fox refuses to feed on snouted harvester termites, likely because it is not adapted to tolerate termites' chemical defense.
Bat-eared fox | Diet
Indian elephant "(Elephas maximus indicus)", blackbuck "(Antilope cervicapra)", Asian palm civet "(Paradoxurus hermaphroditus)", small Indian civet "(Viverricula indica)", Madras treeshrew "(Anathana ellioti)", common grey mongoose "(Herpestes edwardsii)", sambar deer "(Rusa unicolor)", Indian crested porcupine "(Hystrix indica)", Indian bison "(Bos gaurus)", wild boar "(Sus scrofa)", common muntjac "(Muntiacus muntjak)", Indian leopard "(Panthera pardus fusca)", Bengal tiger "(Panthera tigris tigris)", dhole "(Cuon alpinus)", golden jackal "(Canis aureus)", Indian giant squirrel "(Ratufa indica)", Indian hare "(Lepus nigricollis)", Asian house shrew "(Suncus murinus)", tufted grey langur "(Semnopithecus priam)", Indian flying fox "(Pteropus giganteus)", bonnet macaque "(Macaca radiata)", rhesus macaque "(Macaca mulatta)", Bengal fox "(Vulpes bengalensis)", smooth-coated otter "(Lutrogale perspicillata)", jungle cat "(Felis chaus)", cheetal "(Axis axis)", Nilgai, Indian boar, striped hyena, "(Hyaena hyaena)", Indian Wolf, Indian mole-rat "(Bandicota bengalensis)"
Eastern Ghats | Mammals
The eastern American red fox has a primarily carnivorous diet dominated by small mammals (Frey, 2013). However, as an opportunistic species they will adopt an omnivorous diet that includes insects, fruits, berries, birds, plants, and other small animals (Tesky, 1995). Food sources can vary depending on region, but cottontail rabbits ("Sylvilagus") are the most important prey for eastern American red foxes (Frey, 2013). The eastern American red fox will consume larger animals as carrion, and their diet changes depending on seasonal variability (Tesky, 1995).
American red fox | Diet, hunting, and feeding behavior
The Maxwell duiker's diet mostly consists of fruits, seeds, secondary vegetation and shrubs. Maxwell's duiker and other duikers present in the same geographical area were found to have similar diets. Diets are subject to seasonal changes, with a shift towards vegetation and parts of flowers at the beginning of winter. The animal's small size is reflected in its food choices. Due to its smaller mouth, body anatomy, and masseter muscle, it tends to concentrate on food items up to 3 cm in diameter, while larger species eat items up to 6 cm in diameter.
Maxwell's duiker | Diet
The small Indian civets feed on rats, mice, birds, snakes, fruit, roots and carrion. Some individuals were observed while carrying off poultry.
Small Indian civet | Diet
As an adaption to the arid climate in which they live, corsac foxes need little water to survive, obtaining most of the moisture they need from their food. Their diets consist mainly of insects and small rodents, such as voles, gerbils, jerboas, hamsters, and ground squirrels. They may also eat larger prey from time to time, including hares and pikas, and will scavenge for carrion and human refuse. Although predominantly carnivorous, they do occasionally eat fruit and other vegetation, especially when animal prey are scarce. Natural predators of corsac foxes include wolves, eagles, buzzards, and eagle-owls. Corsac foxes are nocturnal and nomadic hunters of the steppes.
Corsac fox | Ecology and behavior
Among carnivorans, Bonelli's eagles have reportedly attacked red fox ("Vulpes vulpes") and wildcats ("Felis silvestris") (probably mostly kits and kittens of these two species) in western Europe as well as stone martens ("Martes foina") and assorted weasels. Meanwhile, adult Bengal fox ("Vulpes bengalensis") have reportedly been caught in India. In France and Spain, mammals overall comprised 34.8% and 26.1% of the diet, respectively, whereas in Georgia they made up 15.4% of the diet. Reptiles are usually secondary prey throughout the range. Though they are known to hunt snakes, Bonelli's eagles rarely hunt them and generally seem to pursue lizards by preference.
Bonelli's eagle | Other assorted prey
The prey species included chital, sambar, wild pig and gaur. Gaur remains were found in 44.8% of all tiger scat samples, sambar remains in 28.6%, wild pig remains in 14.3% and chital remains in 10.4% of all scat samples. In Bandipur National Park, gaur and sambar together also constituted 73% of tiger diet.
Bengal tiger | Hunting and diet
The pale fox is typically inhabits stony deserts and semi-deserts although it occasionally ventures south into the savanna. It lives in small family groups with parents and their young. During the day they rest in dug burrows that can extend up to 15 meters long and descend up to 2 meters to the ground, at dusk they venture out and forage for food, which includes plants and berries as well as rodents, reptiles and insects. It has the ability to retain water from its food, and can go almost completely without drinking.
Pale fox | Ecology
Omnivorous, and more frugivorous than other foxes. It prefers seedless grapes, ripe melons and Russian chives when consuming domestic crops. In addition, it eats insects. The Biblical foxes in the vineyard mentioned in the Song of Songs 2:15, described as "little foxex who roun the vineyards" are most probably the frugivorous Blanford's foxes.
Blanford's fox | Diet
In Gir National Park, the home range of a male radio-collared leopard was estimated at . It killed prey once in 3.7 days. The leopard is a versatile, opportunistic hunter, and has a very broad diet. It is able to take large prey due to its massive skull and powerful jaw muscles. In Sariska Tiger Reserve, the dietary spectrum of the Indian leopard includes axis deer, sambar deer, nilgai, wild boar, common langur, Indian hare and peafowl. In Periyar Tiger Reserve, primates make up a large proportion of its diet.
Indian leopard | Ecology and behaviour
The grey-headed flying fox is the only mammalian nectarivore and frugivore to occupy substantial areas of subtropical rainforests, so is of key importance to those forests. The teeth, tongue and palate of the pteropodid bats are able to extract plant juices from food, only swallowing smaller seeds of the meal. Incisors hold items such as fruit, and the fibrous material is ejected from the mouth after it is masticated and the juice is swallowed; larger seeds may be held in the mouth and dispersed several kilometres from the tree. The need for the elaborate intestinal tract of most herbivores is consequently removed.
Grey-headed flying fox | Diet and foraging
Arctic foxes generally eat any small animal they can find, including lemmings, voles, other rodents, hares, birds, eggs, fish, and carrion. They scavenge on carcasses left by larger predators such as wolves and polar bears, and in times of scarcity also eat their feces. In areas where they are present, lemmings are their most common prey, and a family of foxes can eat dozens of lemmings each day. In some locations in northern Canada, a high seasonal abundance of migrating birds that breed in the area may provide an important food source. On the coast of Iceland and other islands, their diet consists predominantly of birds.
Arctic fox | Diet
This goanna has been observed eating road kill, including possums and wallabies, and consumption of these may account for a significant proportion of the mammal component of their diet. The native rat species "Rattus fuscipes" is likely pursued and caught, but the recorded consumption of "Macropus fuliginosus", the western grey kangaroo, and brush-tail possum "Trichosurus vulpecula" is likely the discovery of their carcasses.
Rosenberg's monitor | Behaviour
Flying foxes are killed for use in traditional medicine. The Indian flying fox, for example, has many perceived medical uses. Some believe that its fat is a treatment for rheumatism. Tribes in the Attappadi region of India eat the cooked flesh of the Indian flying fox to treat asthma and chest pain. Healers of the Kanda tribe of Bangladesh use hair from Indian flying foxes to create treatments for "fever with shivering."
Pteropus | Medicine
It most likely feeds on insects and or small mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
Chestnut dunnart | Diet
The Indian muntjacs are classified as omnivores. They are considered both browsers and grazers with a diet consisting of grasses, ivy, prickly bushes, low-growing leaves, bark, twigs, herbs, fruit, sprouts, seeds, tender shoots, bird eggs, and small, warm-blooded animals. Indian muntjacs are typically found feeding at the edge of the forest or in abandoned clearings. The muntjacs found in the Nilgiri-Wayand area of south India are always sited in the large tea estates, as they feed mostly on tea seeds. Their large canine teeth help in the processes of retrieving and ingesting food.
Indian muntjac | Diet
The coat is short and thick. Coloration varies from grey to brown, to yellowish, to pale, to dark grey. There is a black streak along the back legs, with a black stripe along the spine. On muzzle, ears and paws there is more-reddish fur. The tail, legs and ear tips are black. The ears are wide and round. The torso is somewhat narrow; legs are short but strong. The dense hairy tail stays upright when they are excited.
Crab-eating fox | Appearance
In Kazakhstan's lower Ili River, the wildcat mainly targets rodents, muskrats, and Tamarisk jird. Occasionally, remains of young roe deer and wild boar are present in its faeces. After rodents, birds follow in importance, along with reptiles, fish, insects, eggs, grass stalks and nuts (which probably enter the cat's stomach through pheasant crops). In the scrub habitat of western Rajasthan, they live largely on desert gerbils, but also hunt hares, rats, doves, gray partridges, sandgrouses, peafowl, bulbuls, sparrows and eat eggs of ground birds. They have also been observed killing cobras, saw-scale vipers, sand boas, geckos, scorpions and beetles. Results of a feed item analysis of Asiatic wildcats in the Tarim Basin revealed that their primary prey was the Tarim hare followed by gerbil, jerboa, poultry and small birds, fish, "Cardiocranius" spp., Agamid lizards and sand lizard.
Asiatic wildcat | Hunting and diet
Peafowl are omnivorous and eat seeds, insects, fruits, small mammals and reptiles. They feed on small snakes but keep their distance from larger ones. In the Gir forest of Gujarat, a large percentage of their food is made up of the fallen berries of "Zizyphus". Around cultivated areas, peafowl feed on a wide range of crops such as groundnut, tomato, paddy, chili and even bananas. Around human habitations, they feed on a variety of food scraps and even human excreta. In the countryside, it is particularly partial to crops and garden plants.
Indian peafowl | Feeding
The Indian flying fox is India's largest bat, and one of the largest bats in the world, weighing up to . Its body mass ranges from , and males are generally larger than females. The wingspan ranges from and body length averages . The wings rise from the side of the dorsum and from the back of the second toe, and its thumb has a powerful claw. It has claws on only its first two digits of its wings, with the thumb possessing the more powerful claw, and all five digits of its leg. It lacks a tail. The Indian flying fox ranges in color, with a black back that is lightly streaked with grey, a pale, yellow-brown mantle, a brown head, and dark, brownish underparts.
Indian flying fox | Description
Red foxes readily eat plant material, and in some areas fruit can amount to 100% of their diet in autumn. Commonly consumed fruits include blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, persimmons, mulberries, apples, plums, grapes, and acorns. Other plant material includes grasses, sedges and tubers. Red foxes are implicated in the predation of game and song birds, hares, rabbits, muskrats, and young ungulates, particularly in preserves, reserves, and hunting farms where ground nesting birds are protected and raised, as well as in poultry farms. While the popular consensus is that olfaction is very important for hunting, two studies that experimentally investigated the role of olfactory, auditory, and visual cues found that visual cues are the most important ones for hunting in red foxes and coyotes.
Red fox | Diet, hunting and feeding behaviour
Omnivorous. Known to eat grains, seeds, plants, roots, insects, reptiles and even small birds and mammals it can catch up.
Indian gerbil | Diet
This species is ground-dwelling and usually runs away from danger rather than taking to the air. It is generally seen singly or in pairs. In most of its range it is a resident species, but it migrates to the drier parts of India in the wet season, and similarly to the southeastern part of Russia, making its journeys by night. The diet includes green plant material, seeds, and a variety of insects including beetles, ants and grasshoppers. Breeding takes place between March and November, mostly in the wet season. The nest is a scoop in the ground lined with grasses and often roofed with bent-down plant stems, having an entrance at the side.
Yellow-legged buttonquail | Ecology
Rodents noted in a study in Pondicherry were "Tatera indica", "Golunda ellioti", "Rattus" sp., "Mus booduga" and "Bandicota bengalensis". Bats were also preyed on. In Pakistan, "Nesokia indica" is an important prey item in their diet. Mammals the size of a Black-naped hare "Lepus nigricollis" may be taken. In Pakistan, they have been found to take "Lepus capensis" and "Eupetaurus cinereus". When feeding on rodents, they tear up the prey rather than swallow them whole. Captives feed on about 61g of prey per day.
Indian eagle-owl | Behaviour and ecology
The crab-eating fox searches for crabs on muddy floodplains during the wet season, giving this animal its common name. It is an opportunist and an omnivore, preferring insects or meat from rodents and birds when available. Other foods readily consumed include turtle eggs, tortoises, fruit, eggs, crustaceans, insects, lizards and carrion. Their diet is varied and has been found to differ by different researchers, suggesting opportunistic feeding and geographical variation. During the wet season, the diet contains more crabs and other crustaceans, while during the dry season it contains more insects. The crab-eating fox contributes to the control of rodents and harmful insects.
Crab-eating fox | Diet
The diet mainly consists of insects, worms and small reptiles and occasionally some seeds.
Indian stone-curlew | Diet
Their diet in the wild is unknown but in captivity they mainly feed on bramble, raspberry, eucalyptus, and oak.
Achrioptera fallax | Diet
The crab-eating fox creates monogamic teams for hunting; groups of several monogamic pairs may form during the reproductive season. For population distribution, some explorers showed one individual distribution for 4 km while another observation showed that one distribution had changed from 0.6 to 0.9 km for one individual. Territorialism was noticed during the dry season; during rainy seasons, when there is more food, they pay less attention to territory. Hideouts and dens often are found in bushes and in thick grass, and there are typically multiple entrance holes per den. Despite being capable of tunnelling, they prefer to take over other animals' burrows.
Crab-eating fox | Life cycle and behaviour
Where their ranges overlap, the South American gray fox is in competition with the larger culpeo fox. The former consumes a greater proportion of rodents, and arthropods make a significant portion of its diet, while the culpeo tends to consume larger prey, including the non-native European hare which has been introduced into Chile. These prey animals are partitioned between these two species, with the gray fox being excluded from the best prey territories by the larger culpeo.
South American gray fox | Country
While a lot of details about the species diet is unknown, it is believed that they eat mostly invertebrates as well as some small vertebrates.
False antechinus | Diet
It feeds primarily on Siberian ibexes, arkhar, argali, roe deer, maral and wild boar, as well as musk deer and reindeer.
Tien Shan dhole | Hunting and diet
They mainly eat seeds and insects, as well as some berries. Coastal fox sparrows may also eat crustaceans.
Fox sparrow | Diet
The diet of this species is made up of insects and small vertebrates.
Julia Creek dunnart | Diet
Their burrows are made at the base of boulders, at old beach lines and low slopes. Dens may have four entrances, with entrances being 25–35 cm in diameter.
Tibetan fox | Behaviour and ecology
They are omnivorous creatures and will eat just about anything. Their diet consists of acorns, nuts, fruit, honey, roots, and various insects such as termites and beetle larvae. If food is scarce, they may turn to eating livestock such as sheep, goats, and cattle.
Himalayan black bear | Diet