Golden Fox

There are literally thousands of animals in the the Golden Animal Sectors of the zoo, but golden foxes are easily my favourite. Who doesn't love cuddly animals that just want to play?

— Ekirin, who doesn't quite understand that the foxes are very mischevious animals when they're not around her.

Golden foxes are a small little mammal from the rainbow forests of Laosina, a planet in District 2. Golden foxes are naturally very mischevious animals, but will always have an innocent facade to trick naive zookeepers into thinking they'll behave, when in actuality they are plotting their escape.

Anatomy

Golden foxes have a slim, elongated body, with short limbs and a puffy neck. Their fur is silky, rarely knotting or tangling, and is a rich gold colour. Their tails are almost half of their body length, and exceed the width of their bodies. During winters on their home planet the foxes will use their tails to keep them warm, as their tail can flatten and be used as a blanket.

Their skulls are rather small, with long snouts. Their eyes are located facing directly forwards, allowing for clear accurate vision. Their skulls are smaller in males and wider in females.

Fur

Golden fox fur is prized in many cultures and civilisations on Laosina. Unfortunately, the foxes have been captive-bred for hundreds of years, forced to mate to produce pups with the best quality fur. These pups are sold to the highest bidder and skinned to be worn as coats and scarves.

Here at A To Zoo, we treat our golden foxes with kindness. Our fifteen foxes roam free in a 500 m² enclosure, decked out with native plants and landscapes. Only our most experienced zookeepers are allowed to pet our foxes, as we believe in treating our foxes with respect.

Shit. EKERIN?! DID YOU LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN?!
...No?
Ugh, I can't believe this. The damn foxes are out!
Oh crap, I'll put us in lockdown for a bit.
Well that's no help, the foxes can get out of our lockdown. Just pick them up on the trackers, and we'll get the nets.
I was going to get off work early and if I'm late leaving this is all your fault.
Shut up.

— A panicked Sandra and annoyed Ekerin

Behaviour

In the presence of strangers, golden foxes are very skittish. They are a skittish in the wild and generally avoid interactions with people. Rural golden foxes have gotten used to the presence of people however, and during night-times they can occasionally be seen wandering through dimly lit streets, searching for leftover food in bins or littered on the ground.

Our captive golden foxes are unsurprisingly very cunning. They constantly push our zookeeper's boundaries, and emotional limits, by constantly escaping their enclosure despite their enclosure being perfectly suited to these animals and their needs. Our golden fox pack, led by Angel, have escaped their enclosure 16 times after arriving 5 years ago.

Diet & Hunting

Golden foxes are pack-hunting carnivores in the wild. In their packs led by a singular alpha female, the foxes will choose a weak or old target prey from a group or a lone animal. They will form a large circle around the prey, communicating with pheromone chemicals released through their tails. The alpha decides when the pack will converge on the prey, and when they do they will run head-on to their prey. The alpha will pounce and kill the prey, and will take the first bite. The prey is passed on around the circle pack clockwise, each fox taking a single bite, until there is no more food.

Golden foxes are mostly carnivorous, consuming a diet of about 80% meat. The other 20% consists of assorted fallen fruits, nuts and seeds, as well as ground-level grasses. Most flower species are poisonous to the foxes, and they have the innate instinct to avoid flowers.

Our foxes are fed a wide range of meats. Because these foxes can consume almost any meat we have in stock, the foxes are fed leftover meats, of which there are always a large amount. Most commonly we will feed our foxes chicken, turkey, chinin, chinirin, or moomoo meat, as these five meats are the most common meats we use to feed our animals.

Golden Fox by Mochi

Scientific Name
Vulpex aurum
Home Planet
Laosina
Average Height
30 - 35cm at the shoulder
Average Length
50 - 80cm including tail
Average Lifespan
10 years in the wild
15 - 20 years in captivity
Sector
Golden Mammals 2

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Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Vulpes
Species: V. Aurum

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Conservation Status
Near Threatened

Distribution & Habitat

In their native planet, golden foxes are a common species, however on a slow decline. Their natural habitat are rainbow forests, a common biome on Laosina. They are commonly spotted darting through the thick ground-level foliage in their packs, using the brightly coloured plants and dim light to conceal themselves.

They are most common in the Southern Hemisphere, in Ruibet and Imira, two continents that form the supercontinent Ruimira. They are more comfortable in colder climates, and inhabit the outskirts of the northernmost rainbow forests of Ruimira, which see frequent snowfall in the winter months.

Nah, you've got to be joking. They've gotten out again. Ekirin, how do you keep them in?
I just talk to them and tell them they're awesome, and they listen.
I try that and they run away.
Well maybe they don't like you.
Shut up.

— Sandra and Ekirin

So you're telling me they're my spirit animal?

— Visitor in love with golden foxes