Nick Wilde, the main character in Disney’s Zootopia, is cunning and driven. He’s a red fox, and his portrayal in the film isn’t as far off from historical beliefs of foxes as one might expect. Throughout history, foxes have been seen in various environments, come in different shapes and sizes, but have retained a well-known reputation as clever.
In Europe during the Dark Ages and Renaissance, foxes were portrayed as tricksters or those of fraudulent behavior, according to Janetta Benton’s Holy Terrors. In some cases, they were even burned as they were thought to be in association with the Devil. Foxes, in a lot of old mythology, were seen as tricksters or liars. In ancient Egypt, they were referred to as “zab” (Hunter) - however, compared to how the Egyptians referred to cats as “mau,” a fox is not, in fact, named after the noise it makes.
Foxes don’t have nearly as many vocalizations as dogs; ask any dog owner what their pet is like and they’ll reply that their dog howls, whines, barks, and yelps. During mating season especially, foxes can scream. Unfortunately for the rest of the animal kingdom, the scream sounds horrible; in the words of Dan Nosowitz, journalist for Popular Science, a fox’s cry is a “shrill, hoarse scream of anguish ... it …show more content…
No other Nevada red foxes have been seen in the Yosemite National Park since 1916; it’s often thought that little over 50 red foxes still lived in America. According to National Geographic’s Stefan Sirucek, “prized for their vibrant coats, red fox populations were devastated by hunting and trapping” in North America during the 19th and 20th centuries. While trapping was banned in 1974, the article adds that it’s still too early to decide whether the population is growing again or if that was just a lucky
In Europe during the Dark Ages and Renaissance, foxes were portrayed as tricksters or those of fraudulent behavior, according to Janetta Benton’s Holy Terrors. In some cases, they were even burned as they were thought to be in association with the Devil. Foxes, in a lot of old mythology, were seen as tricksters or liars. In ancient Egypt, they were referred to as “zab” (Hunter) - however, compared to how the Egyptians referred to cats as “mau,” a fox is not, in fact, named after the noise it makes.
Foxes don’t have nearly as many vocalizations as dogs; ask any dog owner what their pet is like and they’ll reply that their dog howls, whines, barks, and yelps. During mating season especially, foxes can scream. Unfortunately for the rest of the animal kingdom, the scream sounds horrible; in the words of Dan Nosowitz, journalist for Popular Science, a fox’s cry is a “shrill, hoarse scream of anguish ... it …show more content…
No other Nevada red foxes have been seen in the Yosemite National Park since 1916; it’s often thought that little over 50 red foxes still lived in America. According to National Geographic’s Stefan Sirucek, “prized for their vibrant coats, red fox populations were devastated by hunting and trapping” in North America during the 19th and 20th centuries. While trapping was banned in 1974, the article adds that it’s still too early to decide whether the population is growing again or if that was just a lucky