Usually, when it comes to talking about Wolves and Foxes we always have confusion or there’s one person in a debate which creates it. Many times people conclude that wolves and foxes both are the same.
When it comes to size, Wolves are quite bigger compare to foxes. Wolves love to be united and together all the time whereas foxes don’t usually spend their lifetime in big packs.
Wolves vs Foxes
The main difference between Wolves and Foxes is that Wolves have a large and muscular body with a broad snout, smaller and less pointed ears. Foxes weigh less than the wolves and have a pointed snout, ears are vertical and triangular along with long whiskers and tail.
Comparison Table Between Wolves and Foxes
| Parameter of Comparision | Wolves | Foxes |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Wolves are quite large compare to the foxes. | Foxes are smaller compare to wolves. |
| Food | Wolves usually hunt for large and huge animals. | Foxes have insects, fruits, and small animals in survival. |
| Relationship with Humans | Wolves don’t have friendly relations with humans at all. | Foxes have a friendly nature with humans. |
| Family | Wolves are always spotted together with huge packs. | Foxes have only 2 or 3 members together to live with. |
| Offsprings | Baby wolves are known as pups. | Baby foxes are known as kits. |
| Howling | Wolves are known for their scary howls. | Foxes howl not much often compared to wolves. |
| Weight | The average adult wolves weigh around 150 pounds. | The casual weight of foxes is up to 30 pounds. |
| Height | Wolves are around 3 feet tall. | Foxes are around 1 foot tall. |
| Spot | Wolves mostly are found in the northern region. | Foxes are easy to spot. |
What are Wolves?
Canis lupus or grey wolves is the one who is from a family of canine native from North America.
Wolves have less-pointed ears, a small torso, and long tail. The wolves are very specific about their style of hunting and prey. Offspring of wolves tend to live their parents to form and create their own pack. Respect towards territory and loyalty towards one pack is the most prominent feature of wolves. Pair of mates or single wolves have more success ratio of the number of hunting while of wolves in a respective pack.
Wolves can be easily infected with parasites and pathogens and are prone to rabies. Usually, wolves are carnivorous animals who love to hunt large animals rather than the foxes who hunt for small rewards. While the number of wolves is relatively is less so the attack on human beings is rare since wolves love their privacy and live far from human residence. People are known to be scared of wolves, but wolves too have fear against humans because of their different experiences with hunters and shooters. Wolves can eat a lot more than 5 kgs in just one sitting.
When we talk about prey, usually humans are not on their top list at all though people try to kill them as self-defense at a first sight. Wolves may show aggression when they are provoked but at extreme, they just bite, attacks are rarest. Wolves’ overall structure is made for stamina, and their legs and back are that strong which can make long journeys easy for them. Wolves send signals to their pack members as in howling for danger or protection. Wolves can never face failure in the hunt, their hunts depend on success, many times it just 10 minutes, and in some cases, they take hours to do so.
Just like swans, wolves being a mate to each other lives together forever even in the worst conditions they choose to die together.
Species of Wolves:
- Gray Wolves
- Arctic Wolves
- Red Wolves
- Indian Wolves
- Himalayan Wolves
- Ethiopian Wolves
- Eastern Wolves
What are Foxes?
Foxes is a mammal belonging to the family of Canidae who has a long bushy tail with a triangular face enlightening with pointed ears. Except for Antarctica, foxes are found almost everywhere on the globe.
The color of the fur of the foxes may differ from each other. Foxes usually are more active after sunset just like cats. Foxes are said to have vertical pupils which have a tendency to see clearly in dim light or no light at all. The existence of urban area foxes is comparatively more than foxes in a non-urban area.
Many foxes adapt to the human population and residential area very prominently. Foxes are the first one who uses magnetic field power to catch their prey which is rare in other animals. Arctic foxes tend to handle extremely cold weather which other animals can’t bear to live in. Foxes can create at least 40 different sounds.
When the offspring of the foxes is born, he/she can’t hear, talk or walk so that is a period where the mother needs to be careful about her children whereas fathers are found hunting while that particular phase. In a year, foxes can reproduce only once. Grey foxes among them are only one type of dog which have the power to climb trees.
Species of Foxes are:
- Red foxes
- Fennec foxes
- Arctic foxes
- Gray foxes
- Tibetan foxes
- Kitfoxes
- Bat-eared foxes
- Crab-eating foxes
- Corsac foxes
- Blanford’s foxes
- Hoary foxes
- Pampas foxes
- Island foxes
- Swift foxes
- Bengal foxes
- Darwin’s foxes
- Cape foxes
- Cozumel foxes and many more.
Main Differences Between Wolves and Foxes
- Wolves are not human-friendly, whereas foxes are.
- Height and weight are more of wolves than of the foxes.
- Howling is mostly observed of wolves compare to the foxes.
- Wolves are rare compare to foxes.
- Wolves aim for large prey whereas foxes are happy with the small ones.
Conclusion
Usually, wolves ignore foxes, because both of them have different prey to chase and their similarity is tough to the lookout. Wolves don’t count foxes as their prey until they have nothing else to survive on. Wolves and foxes both belong to the dog family though their differences make them stand out.
Wolves are family-lovers and Foxes love solitary. Wolves have very intense and loud howls and communication between foxes is done by growling and barking. Wolves give birth to 5 to 6 babies whereas foxes give birth to 4 to 5 babies which are comparatively less from wolves.
References
- https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1890/11-0165.1
- https://rune.une.edu.au/web/handle/1959.11/2439