Fox Dives Head-First into Snow for Voles!

Fox Dives Head-First into Snow for Voles!

Watch as a Red Fox dives head first deep into the snow in search of voles. A technique called 'mousing'. The fox uses its excellent hearing to locate a Vole. It also uses the Earth's magnetic field to pin-point the prey. It's believed that foxes can see a ring of “shadow” on their retina, that is superimposed on its surroundings and always fixed towards magnetic north (roughly northeastern compass direction). The fox then  lines up the shadow with where it hears its prey, and is thus always at a fixed distance away from the prey when it launches its attack.

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Scientific Classifications:

Red Fox:
Family: Canidae
Genus: Vulpes
Species: V. vulpes
Binomial name: Vulpes vulpes

Eastern Meadow Vole:
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Arvicolinae
Genus: Microtus
Subgenus: Pitymys
Species: M. pennsylvanicus
Binomial name: Microtus pennsylvanicus

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#remarkableanimals #redfox #voles