Creatures of Europe

The mammals of Europe vary from feild mice to grey wolves. I hope you enjoy learning about these wonderful creatures! ;)

Canids

I think we shall start with Red Foxes, as they are one of my personal favourites.

Red Foxes, or vulpes vulpes are a member of the genus Vulpes. They can be found all over Europe, as well as several other parts of the world. Their main coat-colour is usually red (hence their name) but it also comes in black, silver, and multi-coloured. They have a thick, bushy tail called a brush. Their habitat ranges from woodlands to open planes and even urban areas. They are surprisingly very common in London. Red Foxes feed on rodents, lizards, birds, fish, and sometimes fruit, vegetables, grains and nuts. Males are known as Reynards, females as vixens and babies as kits. When living in human settlements (such as London) they are nocturnal, but where undisturbed they can be seen in the day. They swim well. They den underground, sometimes an enlarged rabbit burrow or badger sett. They occasionally even den in a badger sett where a badger (or several) is still living. The Fox's den usually has several entrances. As a rule there is a regular arrangement with a sort of cavity close to the entrance, further in a storage chambre and finally, deep down, the nest chambre where they sleep. Litters usually consist of about four kits, but there can be up to 13. Kits are born chocolate brown, fluffy, blind, deaf and toothless. The mother will stay with her kits for the first 2 to 3 weeks, so the father or Reynard feeds the mother in this period. If the mother dies before the kits are independent then the father takes over as their provider. The kits' eyes open after 13 to 15 days, during which their ear canals open and their upper teeth erupt. The lower teeth emerge three-ish days later. Their eyes are initially blue but after four or five weeks they turn amber. Coat colour begins to change at three weeks of age, when the black eye-streak appears. The kits begin to leave their den at the age of 3 to 4 weeks. The lactation period (in other words, when the kits are still suckling their mother) lasts about six to seven weeks. The kits reach adult proportions at about 6 to 7 months.

Now for their very close relatives, Polar Foxes!

Polar Foxes (vulpes lagopus) have a thick white coat in winter, to blend in with the snow and keep the warm. In the summer, they have a grey or brown one. They can be found in and on the edge of the tundra, often above treeline. Being a high Arctic animal, the Polar Fox is active by day as well as by night. They usually live in a family or a small group. They den in a rock fissure or in a hole dug it dug, sometimes a very extensive warren system. They store food. Their voice is rather like hoarse barking, mixed in the pairing time with howls, wails and yelps. Litters of kits vary from five to eight but their may be as many as 25. Both the mother and the father help to raise the young. Young from a previous year's litter may stay with the parents to help raise younger siblings. Litters are born in the early summer. The kits' eyes open after 13 to 15 days, during which their ear canals open and their upper teeth erupt. The lower teeth emerge three or so days later.

Now for the strong and mighty grey wolves!

Grey wolves (canis lupus) were sadly knocked out of Britain in the Middle Ages. (It was all William the Conqueror's fault, the Anglo Saxons respected wolves but when William the Conqueror came along he started paying people to kill them.) Anyway, enough of William the Evil Conqueror. 

Grey wolves' colour ranges from black to white, grey to beige. They are known for their teamwork in a pack, and mainly feed on large ungulates (an ungulate is a hoofed mammal). Wolves are generally monogamous. Pregnancy usually lasts about two and a half months, and the pups are often born in the summer. Litters usually contain five to six pups, which are born deaf and blind. Sadly, only 50% of wolf pups make it to adulthood. Their eyes will open after about 10 days, and they will begin to eat solid food after about 3 weeks, at which time they start eating solid food.