You may have heard a fox screaming and wondered what could make that sound, but this is not the only type of communication that foxes use. Foxes are social animals and use various ways to communicate.
Communication is vital within the social group and outside it. Foxes use sounds, smells, and gestures to communicate. Foxes have about thirty groups of sounds and a complex body language system. Foxes also use feces and urine to communicate, marking their territory and conveying fertility information.
In this article, I look at the different ways that foxes communicate.
Body Language
Foxes use many different methods to communicate with each other. Foxes are social animals, and when they meet members of their own family or even foxes they don’t know, they use different body postures and facial expressions. Foxes are members of the Canid family, and many of the ways they communicate are similar to domestic dogs.
As with dogs, foxes can use aggressive postures to show their intent to others. Gestures such as snarling their lips, making their hair stand up on end, appearing larger, or arching their back are used. Standing upright with their tail erect and ears pricked can indicate dominance.
Foxes often fight with each other, especially when defending their territory, and will slam the other fox to the ground, similar to how dogs fight. When scolded, the submissive fox can often be seen crouching low to the ground, just like a dog.
Vixens can be seen rolling on their back, showing that they are ready to mate with a dominant male. Other signs that she is prepared to mate include licking his nose and mouth and thrashing her tail.
When a member of the same family group approaches another member, they will wag their tail from side to side while running forward. Their ears press against their head, and a huge grin can be seen. They often crouch down to show they are submissive to the family group. Family members can be seen playing with each other, with an arched tail and flattened ears indicating their intent.
Facial expressions are also used to communicate. Staring shows a sign of dominance while looking away shows submission, while an open mouth can indicate playfulness.
Foxes can be noisy and are often heard squeaking and panting as an excited dog does. They usually try to nuzzle the other fox, pulling at its fur playfully.
Fox cubs often welcome back their mother from a hunting trip, in the same way, pulling at her fur or biting at her mouth. This is especially seen when the cubs are young, triggering the mother to regurgitate food.
As the young grow up, food becomes scarce as the colder months draw in. Foxes try to avoid fights, but these cannot always be avoided. If two foxes cannot back down, they will stand next to each other with their back and tails arched. If neither still doesn’t back down, they will start to push each other.
Male foxes usually bite when fighting, with vicious strikes to the neck and head. Vixens generally fight on their hind legs, using their forelegs to push and paw at the chests and ears of their opponent. Many people think that this is why you hear them scream, but the fights almost occur in silence, with just a clicking noise from the back of the throat.
Vocalizations
One of the essential methods of communication among foxes is calling. There are almost thirty different groups of sounds based on over forty forms of sound production. Foxes can recognize individuals from their calls.
Foxes can communicate over short distances and long distances using vocalizations. They learn to make these from a young age, with cubs making a whining sound while still underground, especially when cold or hungry. The sound attracts the mother, who will give them the attention they need.
As they get older, the cubs will develop the sounds they make into a rhythmic call with three or four yelps or barks. This call is created when the cubs are isolated from each other or their mother. It is thought that vixens can call individual cubs with their voice, using a combination of huffs, clucks, and coughs to call them.
At four weeks, cubs will start fighting with each other while still in their dens, spitting through open mouths. As the young emerge from their burrows at this time, the vixen will bark a distinctive warning to warn them of any danger. If the vixen is far from their shelter, this will be louder than if close.
The sound made to warn the cubs is almost like a quiet cough when close to the den. The mother will often bark continuously to frighten off the intruder, giving the cubs time to return to the safety of their underground tunnels.
Most fox vocalizations are quiet, but a loud ow-wow-wow-wow is used to mark their territory. They can also be heard bark-yapping to contact group members over long distances.
If you live in an urban area, you will probably have heard a fox screaming. The first time you hear a fox scream, it will probably scare you. It sounds like a woman being attacked, and many people have phoned the police after hearing a fox scream.
Foxes can often be heard screaming during the night, and this generally happens in the winter months. Foxes scream to attract a mate and often make them while mating. The vixen usually makes the scream, signifying that she is ready to mate. A bark from a male can often be heard shortly afterward.
Males do sometimes scream, but this is used for a different reason. Males use a short, explosive scream to warn their rivals to stay away from their mates.
When fighting, foxes often use a high-pitched chattering with howls and yelps called gekkering. Fox cubs often make this sound while play-fighting.
Scent
Foxes have a great sense of smell and communicate using a range of scents, including urine and feces. They use these to mark out their home range and can often be seen and smelled around people’s houses.
Feces are left in areas where other foxes can see them. They can often be spotted on fence posts, gates, garden paths, ponds, and rockeries. If they find a new object that interests them, they may also mark these. These often include toys or boots left in the garden, so check any toys left out overnight.
Foxes use their noses to smell urine deposited by others. These can be strongest on cold, autumn days when the whole garden can smell ‘foxy.’ A fox’s sense of smell is much better than ours, and they can smell urine some distance away.
Urine contains a lot of information for foxes, and they can recognize which individual left it. This helps them know who is in their territory and if an intruder or a family member has left it. Urine also contains hormones. These help males find a female ready to reproduce as the urine contains information about their reproductive state. Male foxes lift their legs like male dogs, while vixens will crouch when urinating.
Foxes use scent glands to mark territories. These are contained in different parts of their bodies. Foxes use their tails to communicate, and they also contain scent glands on the upper surface near the root of the tail. Their feet also have scent glands that leave their scent while walking.
The most crucial scent glands for foxes are inside the anus. These scent glands are used to mark objects or on their droppings to increase the odor.
Foxes will often mark each other with their scent glands while playing, especially during the mating season. They can also be seen rolling on objects, much like dogs, to add the smell to their odor. Foxes are smelly animals, and if you have one in your garden, you will often be able to smell it after it has gone.
Bryan Harding is a member of the American Society of Mammalogists and a member of the American Birding Association. Bryan is especially fond of mammals and has studied and worked with them around the world. Bryan serves as owner, writer, and publisher of North American Nature.