Foxes have an acute sense of hearing that allows them to hear sounds that are 65,000hz from up to160 feet away, which is nearly three times better than humans. They use their hearing to hunt animals that are below the surface of the ground or buried in snow. Often the foxes angle their ears in the direction of the hunt and focus on the noises. Animals that stay below ground like mice, rabbits and some insects are perfect for the fox to hunt and often end up as supper. Foxes zoom in on the exact location of the sounds beneath the surface and quickly dig the animals out. Foxes are great diggers and make use of this talent, along with their hearing, to locate and obtain their prey.
Not picky eaters who pick on the easy prey
Unlike their ancestors such as wolves, foxes have developed into omnivorous eaters. This means they do not eat meat alone. Although meat is a fox's preference, it often supplements its diet with berries, fruit and nuts. Foxes have also been known to scavenge if there are leftovers from kills other animals have made. Generally, foxes eat mice, rabbits and small wounded birds and animals that don't put up much of a fight.
Foxes tend to stay away from loud prey or cats and dogs who can protect themselves well in a fight. This has caused some confusion, with people believing foxes would readily hunt dogs, cats and chickens. But they are often just found scavenging on carcasses after other animals have done the dirty work for them. The environment a fox dwells in will dictate its diet when it comes to grains, fruits, nuts and berries. If they are widely available in a fox's territory, then it will often be a large part of the fox's diet.
Stalking prey and putting it away for later
As we already have found out, most foxes use their hearing to locate prey, but the crafty fox, has some other catlike tricks up its sleeve. Foxes stalk their prey much like tigers or house cats do. Getting as close to their prey as possible or waiting in ambush, foxes rely on their padded feet to quietly inch closer to their prey. When a fox feels it has gotten close enough to its prey, it pounces much like a cat. After a fox has caught its prey, it also has a catlike tendency to play with it before eating.
Even when foxes are not hungry and have eaten well, they still look for food and store it like squirrels under the soil, rocks or leaves to return to later when times are slim. This type of preparation is taught by mature foxes to their young and helps them to survive well-fed.
