The fox stopped moving. Inches from his paws, frenzied, spawning carp writhed in the shallow water along a reservoir’s shore. The fox jumped into the water with a quick flash of movement and emerged with a large carp in his mouth.
Two researchers from Spain observed a male red-fox (March 2016).Vulpes vulpes) In a matter of minutes, I caught and stalked 10 carp.. The events were described in a August 18th study. EcologyResearchers claim that this is the first documented instance of a fox fisherman. The discovery makes red foxes just the second type of canid — the group that includes wolves and dogs — known to hunt fish.
“Seeing the fox hunting carp one after another was incredible,” says ecologist Jorge Tobajas of the University of Córdoba. “We have been studying this species for years, but we never expected something like this.”
Tobajas and his colleague Francisco Díaz-Ruiz of the University of Málaga stumbled across the fishing fox while surveying a site for a different project. The fox first caught their attention because it didn’t immediately flee when it spotted the researchers. Seizing the opportunity, Tobajas and Díaz-Ruiz decided to hide nearby and see what the fox was up to.
After the fox caught its fish, their curiosity became exuberant. “The most surprising thing was to see how the fox hunted many carp without making any mistakes,” Tobajas says. “This made us realize that it was surely not the first time he had done it.”
Instead of immediately eating all of the fish, the Fox hid most and shared at least one fish with a female, possibly its mate.
There have been times when fish remains were found in the scats of foxes. But scientists weren’t sure whether foxes had caught the fish themselves or were simply scavenging dead fish. This research confirms that some foxes fish for their food, says Thomas Gable, a wildlife ecologist at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis who wasn’t involved in the research.
“I would be shocked if this was the only fox to have learned how to fish,” Gable says.
Living Wolves on the Pacific Coast of North America and in Minnesota The only other canids to be known to fish are (SN: 2/11/20). Gable suggests that it’s possible that this behavior may be more common than previously believed, pointing out that there are two different canid species that live on separate continents.
For Tobajas, the fishing fox is an example of how much scientists still don’t know about the natural world, even for species that live fairly close with humans. “The red fox is a very common species and is in many cases a bit hated,” he says. Foxes are often considered to be a pest because they can attack livestock and pets. But “observations like this show us that it a fascinating and very intelligent animal.”
