King Zhou, what is the charm of foxes?

fox

A frequent guest in legends

Often plays charming and seductive villain roles

Cunning is its synonym

However

The real fox may subvert our imagination

It is lively and naughty

Curious about everything

(Tibetan fox cubs are playful by nature, photographer @徐永春)

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Elegant and fast

Comparable to "007" who kills every 10 steps

(A red fox is hunting. It is light and good at ambushing small prey at close range. Image source: Visual China)

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sometimes

Cold and lonely

(Red fox by the lake. Foxes are solitary animals and tend to hunt alone. Photographer: @张波)

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sometimes

Warm and affectionate

(A mother fox and her cubs; fox cubs need their mother's care before they learn to hunt on their own. They also play and fight with their brothers and sisters. Photographer @李艳霞)

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One of the most widespread carnivores in the world

The secret of Fox's success is

Thousands of foxes, adaptable to changing circumstances

(Please watch in horizontal mode. Foxes are very adaptable and can be found in different habitats with different faces. Photographers: @马浩杰, 李揩, 图虫创意, 视觉中国, map by @张琪/星球研究院)

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Foxes with erratic behavior

Elusive

It is also impossible to define

What does a fox really look like?

1 Undefined appearance

Foxes commonly seen

Slim body, oval face, pointed ears and big tail

But in fact

The fox family is large and complex

They belong to the subfamily Vulpes

The most typical foxes include 12 species of the genus Vulpes

Among them are the most familiar red fox and Tibetan fox

(Please watch in horizontal mode. Except for the genus Raccoon, all other species of the subfamily Vulpes are called "foxes". Photographers @王天虹,徐征泽, Visual China, 图虫创意, map @张琪/星球研究院)

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Foxes are amazingly adaptable

They walked all over the earth

Everywhere except Antarctica

Occupied

The Arctic

Hot desert

Barren Plateau

Even "invading" the city

Sharing the world with humans

(Red foxes at Wuhan University. Many red foxes have begun to enter cities and coexist with humans, living on human garbage. Photographer: Feng Jiang)

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One of the fox's survival secrets

In its undefined appearance

Red Fox

(Vulpes vulpes)

The most typical fox appearance

They are the largest and most widespread foxes on Earth.

(The red fox's iconic long snout and pointed ears, image source: Visual China)

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The red fox has a slender body

With a fiery red body and a fluffy tail

Black stripes on the outside of the limbs

Like wearing black gloves

(A red fox running on the snow, it has a slender body and an elegant posture, picture source: @Visual China)

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but

Not all red foxes are red

It cannot be defined by the word "deficit"

In natural environment

The red fur color will mutate

silver fox

This is the product of mutation

Black and white hair

Shining silver in the sun

(Silver fox, known as "black fox" in ancient times, is extremely rare. Image source: @Visual China)

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In addition to having an undefined coat color, the red fox

They also add or remove clothes in different seasons.

In winter, its hair is dense

Appears "round and plump"

("I'm not fat, I'm just wearing thick clothes", photographer @Steven Ye)

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In summer, its hair becomes sparse

Appearing "skinny and bony"

("You are so thin because it's hot, not hungry," photographer @朴龙国)

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Although the fox image with a long mouth and pointed ears is the most popular

But there is a kind of fox that subverts this impression

Arctic Fox

(Vulpes lagopus)

It has round ears and short limbs.

Can effectively reduce heat dissipation

Adapting to cold conditions

(Arctic fox, the protruding parts of animals in cold regions, such as limbs, tails and external ears, tend to become smaller and shorter. Animals use this method to reduce the body's heat dissipation area. Photographer @徐征泽)

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Arctic fox in winter

Wearing a "white down jacket"

About 20,000 hairs per square centimeter

160 times the density of human hair

They are snow-white

Perfectly hidden in the snow

(The white and round body of the Arctic fox blends in with the environment. Even in temperatures as low as -60 degrees Celsius, they can move freely with their "winter coats". Image source: Visual China)

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summer

It takes off its thick white coat

Change into a light brown-gray hair

From "fat" to "thin"

(Arctic fox in summer, its gray-brown body adapts to the exposed rocks, photographer @徐征泽)

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The Arctic fox is in the molting period...

(“Do you want to sing a song called ‘Night Shanghai’?” The white winter fur of the Arctic fox is mixed with the gray-brown summer fur, like wearing a mink vest, photographer @陈建伟)

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Small ears are needed to adapt to ice and snow

To conquer the desert you need big ears

Desert foxes have big ears

The world's smallest fox lives in the Sahara Desert

Fennec fox

(Vulpes zerda)

(The fennec fox weighs only about 1 kilogram and is the smallest canine in the world. Image source: Visual China)

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They have a pair of unique large ears.

(The ears of the fennec fox are about 15 cm long, accounting for about one-third of the body length. Image source: Visual China)

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Huge ears full of capillaries

Not only can it effectively dissipate heat

Also has extremely acute hearing

The movement of prey underground can be heard at night

Big ears aren’t exclusive to fennec foxes

Big-eared fox

(Otocyon megalotis)

Also has a pair of exaggerated big ears

The bat-eared fox's ears are up to 13 centimeters long.

Like bat wings

Therefore it is also called bat-eared fox

(The big-eared foxes living in the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa rely on their keen hearing to avoid predators, find food and pursue mates. Image source: Visual China)

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They are one of the few foxes that eat insects exclusively.

Huge ears

Can detect the subtle sounds of termites in the desert underground

The fox above

Each has its own beauty

No wonder throughout the ages

There has been a legend that they transform into handsome men and beautiful women.

However

There is a kind of fox

King Zhou will never fall for it

Tibetan Fox

(Vulpes ferrilata)

They live on the roof of the world - the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

A big square face

Its most distinctive facial feature

(As an emoticon, the Tibetan fox often has an expression of indifference and disdain, picture source: @Visual China)

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Tibetan foxes have smaller ears than red foxes

The ears are close to the sides of the head.

It looks like it has a broad forehead

Plus in winter, its cheeks are covered with thick hair.

So the face looks square.

(The Tibetan fox’s square face, photographer @陆江)

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Although the Tibetan fox's face looks big and square

But its skull is actually narrower and longer.

The snout is also more slender than other foxes.

It also has well-developed canine teeth.

Like a "vampire" sticking out of the lips

(Unlike other omnivorous foxes, Tibetan foxes are pure carnivores, and their canine teeth are longer than those of other foxes. Photographers @张称心,徐永春, map @张琪/星球研究院)

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The Tibetan fox's long snout reaches into the pika's burrow

Like a claw machine

(Tibetan fox "traps" a pika in its hole, photographer @徐征泽)

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Sharp Teeth

Every word is a fatal blow

(Strong jaw muscles and long, thick canine teeth are the secret of the Tibetan fox's efficient hunting. Photographer @鲍永清)

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Tibetan foxes living at an altitude of more than 3,600 meters

Perfectly adapted to the bitter cold of the plateau

Although the appearance is "ugly and cute"

But it is a successful highland hunter

(“Isn’t it amazing? I sacrificed my looks to get this!” Photographer @李婷婷)

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Some foxes rely on their faces

Some rely on claws

Gray Fox

(Urocyon cinereoargenteus)

The only fox in the world that can climb trees

Has a cat-like hooked claw

They can jump freely between branches.

Even make their home in trees

(Gray foxes are mainly distributed in North America and belong to the genus Vulpes. Image source: Visual China)

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With an undefined appearance

Foxes have adapted to a variety of environments

However

Appearance alone is not enough

Traveling in the arena requires a variety of identities

2 Undefined identity

Different from those who are good at group combat and endurance racing

Large dogs such as wolves and jackals

Foxes are small and independent

Usually fights alone

(In Hoh Xil, a pack of wolves is hunting a Tibetan wild donkey. Wolves have super endurance and cooperative combat capabilities. The pack of wolves bites the prey and causes it to bleed to death. Photographer @熙志农/野性中国)

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A skilled killer

The fox's first identity

Tibetan fox as a highland hunter

Its hunting is efficient and fast.

first

It uses clues such as smell, call, footprints, etc.

Look for signs of prey

Approaching silently

("Hush, don't make any noise", the Tibetan fox found the trace of its prey, photographer @鲍永清) ▼

then

It began to observe secretly

Keep your eyes and ears open

Listen to the prey's every move

("Hide first and wait for the opportunity", the Tibetan fox observing secretly, photographer @林北岸)

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at last

To pounce on prey unexpectedly and without warning

Clean and neat, killing only takes a moment

(When the fox was about 2 meters away from its prey, it suddenly exerted its strength and rushed towards its prey. Photographer: @张强)

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Tibetan fox is agile

Because it is light

Compared with canines of similar size

It weighs less

(Compared to the Shiba Inu of similar size, the Tibetan fox weighs only half as much, image source @Visual China, map @Zhang Qi/Planet Research Institute) ▼

The Tibetan fox is hunted cleanly and neatly

The Red Fox's moves are more elegant

It has a trick to catch mice: "falling upside down"

This method is often used to catch mice under the snow.

Jump up and dive headfirst into the snow

This mouth trick that came from the sky

Make the prey hiding under the snow have nowhere to escape

(“I found you. There’s nowhere to run!” A red fox “flips upside down” in the snow to catch a mouse. Photographer @徐永春)

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How do red foxes accurately find their prey under the snow?

Don't rely on your eyes, rely on your ears

Red foxes have a keen sense of hearing

Capable of capturing the slightest noise of prey

Red foxes may also have the ability to sense the direction of the geomagnetic field

Using geomagnetism to determine the distance of prey

Achieve unparalleled precision

(Red foxes can use the geomagnetic field and hearing to accurately determine the location of their prey. Map by @张琪/Planetary Research Institute)

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In addition to hearing

The red fox also has a keen vision.

As a Night Slayer

Red foxes have vertical pupils like cats

Compared to round pupils, they can expand more in the dark.

Perfect for hunting at night

(The area change of vertical pupil enlargement and reduction can reach 135~300 times, while that of round pupil is only 15 times. Image source: @图虫创意, map by @张琪/星球研究院)

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Foxes are opportunists

Never give up the food in your mouth

Even if you don't kill

It also has other identities

In the days without meat

The fox will take on its second identity

Vegetarian

(The fox will not refuse any delicious fruit when it comes to it. Image source: Visual China)

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If you can't find anything to eat

The fox will take on a third identity

Thief

Arctic foxes stalk polar bears

Finding seals

It lurks in the distance

After the polar bear has had a full meal

Arctic foxes dare to steal its leftovers

(Polar bears can smell seals within a radius of several kilometers and are the most effective "assistants" of Arctic foxes. Image source: Visual China)

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In the summer

Arctic Fox Club welcomes a new event

Stealing eggs

At that time, flocks of snow geese were laying eggs in the polar regions.

Arctic fox rushes among snow geese

Deliberately creating chaos

Force snow geese to leave their nests

When the snow geese are far enough away

Arctic fox quickly gets away with the trick

(The "egg thief" succeeded in luring the tiger away from the mountain, photographer @陈建伟)

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If you can't steal

The fox will take on a fourth identity

robber

Marmot burrows are the best shelter for Tibetan foxes

To get something for nothing

Tibetan foxes will directly occupy the marmot's "mansion"

No martial ethics

(Such "housing property rights wars" happen every day on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, photographer @鲍永清)

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However, the odds of its success are not great

An adult marmot is strong enough to take on a Tibetan fox.

(The Tibetan fox was driven away by an angry marmot, photographer @谢建国/Natural Image China)

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As the middle link of the food chain

Foxes need an undefined identity

It must learn to strike hard

We must also learn to assess the situation and adapt to changes

(The Tibetan fox is in the middle of the food chain. It must guard against the invasion of competitors such as the manul and the Tibetan wolf, and must always pay attention to the movements of the alert pika. Photographers @徐征泽, 鲍永清, 张程皓, 林北岸, map @张琪/星球研究院)

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Such an opportunist

You can live well anywhere

However, in the eyes of humans

The Fox's Improvisation

Seen as treacherous and cunning

In the process of being constantly "defined"

The image of the fox is becoming more distorted

The real fox is getting farther and farther away from us

3 The Misunderstood Fox

Encounter between man and fox

It all started with hunting

Hiding during the day and coming out at night, foxes are suspicious by nature

This is the first impression of foxes by ancient Chinese people.

Such a vigilant nocturnal animal

Inevitably with a mysterious color

Image of fox

Beginning to be misinterpreted

(The red fox's eyes glow in the dark, image source: Visual China)

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Ancient Times

The fox is a totem worshipped by the tribe

It transformed into the nine-tailed white fox Tushannu, whom Dayu married.

Adding mythical color to Chinese history

There is also a record of the nine-tailed fox in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

So-called "In the southeastern Qingqiu, there is a nine-tailed fox"

They are all manifestations of ancient people's totem worship

(The Classic of Mountains and Seas records: "There is a beast that looks like a fox with nine tails, sounds like a baby, can eat people, and those who eat it will not be poisoned." This means: "There is a beast that looks like a fox with nine tails, sounds like a baby, can eat people, and those who eat it will not be poisoned by evil spirits." Photographer @朱智勇, map @张琪/Planetary Research Institute)

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after

Foxes are considered auspicious animals

Among them, the nine-tailed fox became a lucky animal that manifested the king's destiny.

(There are two layers of relief animal patterns on the belly of the wine jar, including more than ten kinds of mythical animals such as tigers, sheep, camels, cows, dragons and phoenixes. Photographer @柳叶氘, map @张琪/星球研究院)

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It also symbolizes the prosperity of descendants and a peaceful and prosperous world.

(The nine-tailed fox is often painted together with the three-legged crow, white rabbit, toad and Queen Mother of the West, and is an extremely important auspicious sign. Photographer @柳叶氘, map @张琪/Planetary Research Institute)

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Why were foxes considered auspicious signs by the ancients?

Because the appearance of foxes conforms to the aesthetics of the ancients

Fox color brown

The ancients believed that yellow was gentle.

In line with the doctrine of the mean

Small head and big tail

Showing order of rank

It symbolizes the prosperity of future generations and the strength of the country.

(Shuowen Jiezi records: "A fox has three virtues, its fur color is neutral, small in front and big in the back, and when it dies, its head will face the hill where it was born." This means that a fox has three virtues, its fur color is neutral yellow; its nose tip is small in front and its tail is big in the back; when it dies, its head will face the hill where it was born. Image source: Visual China)

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However

When the nine-tailed fox carries the auspicious halo

The time when the state prospers

Part of the Legend of Fox

Begin to gradually change

From animal to human form

From masculine to feminine

Being dubbed as a beast of prey and a beast of pleasure

final

Even the noblest nine-tailed fox has fallen from the altar

The fairy face is deeply rooted in people's hearts

(According to legend, the nine-tailed fox transformed into the stunning beauty Daji and became the favorite concubine of King Zhou of Shang; in Japan, she transformed into "Tamamonomae" and won the favor and trust of Emperor Toba. Map by @张琪/Planetary Research Institute)

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While the fox demon legend is rampant

Fox fairy worship also emerged among the people

Continuing to this day

People worship fox spirits

Pray for peace in this world

(The Fox Fairy Hall of the Huode Zhenjun Temple in Beijing, photographer @米启蒙)

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Japan is the country most influenced by Chinese culture

There is also a tradition of fox worship among the people.

Foxes often prey on voles, which are a nuisance to locals.

Over time

He was considered the messenger of the god of food and fertility.

The guardian Inari Shrine accepts offerings from the public

(Fox statue at Japan's Inari Shrine, photographer @柒哥)

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From a Western perspective

The fox's characteristics are exaggerated to the fullest

It is the jealous person who says the grapes are sour because he cannot eat them.

It is the good and evil Baron Reynard

The little prince's soul mate

(Illustration from the children's book "The Story of Reynard the Fox" published in 1869. Reynard the Fox in the book dares to compete with powerful animals such as lions, wolves, and bears, and bullies animals weaker than him. He is a complex character. Image source @Wikimedia Commons, map @Zhang Qi/Planet Research Institute)

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In the eyes of people

The fox has surpassed itself

Become a carrier of concepts and aesthetics

Telling the beauty and ugliness in people's hearts

(Beautiful and cute foxes often appear in people's cultural life in the form of cartoons, becoming a very distinctive cultural symbol. Image source: @Visual China)

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Represents good and evil in people's eyes

(Still from the movie "Zorro". The word Zorro comes from Spanish and means fox. As a night-walking knight who punishes evil and promotes good, Zorro's style is similar to that of a fox. He is smart, flexible and active at night. Image source: @Visual China)

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The fox is like a mirror

Reflecting humanity itself

What does a real fox look like?

But few people care

fox

Never had a huge body

Not as sharp as the teeth of tigers, leopards, jackals, or wolves

But with many changes

Embracing the vastness of the Earth

(Foxes are the most widely distributed canines in the world. In this respect, foxes are successful. Photographer @徐永春)

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fox

Have your own instincts and nature

We should not live in the evaluation of others

Its story

Enough to touch people's hearts

The undefined fox

The most touching poem of life

(As the sun sets, two little sand foxes play on the grassland. Photographer: @李艳霞)

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This article was created by

Written by: Gu Yuehu

Edit: Mirror

Image: Yu Kuan & Zhou Xuguang

Design: Zhang Qi

Map: Zhang Songnan

Proofreading: Li Moli & Huang Taiji & Gao Liqian

Cover source: Visual China

External review experts

Wang Zhenghuan, professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University

【References】

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[4] Mu Xuemei. Discussion on the relationship between wool density and capillary fineness[D]. Northeast Forestry University, 2018.

[5] Li Tao, Meng Dehuai, Teng Liwei, et al. Activity rhythm of red fox in Luoshan National Nature Reserve based on infrared camera technology[J]. Journal of Wildlife Science, 2020, 41(04): 891-896.

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[7] Li Senfu. Research on Chinese and Japanese cartoon characters based on the prototype of "fox"[D]. Hunan Normal University, 2020.