I was sitting in the rain this afternoon looking out at the dry lakebed. . . hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever has been eating my turtles and fish. I -- of course -- didn't have the long lens or tripod. . . just a handheld camera and an umbrella. Something in the grass about 75 yards (68 meters) to the east caught my eye. It was the little Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes fulva) above.
It has been at least 10 years since I saw a fox and even then it was only a fleeting glance. This one was completely unaware that I was sitting atop the berm of the dry lake. . . watching. I snapped a few photos . . . and to my surprise they were sharp enough to enhance and present here.
The good news is that this little guy has survived. . . and that there are likely others nearby (most likely in our woods). The second bit of good news was that when he heard my camera shutter and figured out I was a human. . . he ran. Good for him to survive fleeing from humans (their only predator on the Florida peninsula).
The bad news is that he and his family are the likely culprits who have killed all my turtles.
Above: I knew something had been traveling through the mostly-dry lakebed as it has been leaving discernible tracks. I've highlighted the tracks and puddles in the image above. The white post in the image where I've noted "normal water level" is set to 24.5 feet above sea level. We are obviously about 10 feet lower than that level today. The lakeshore is at least 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) to the north.
Above: Another angle, looking more toward the northeast highlights the paths through the puddles that remain of Lake Theresa. Click on the image for a full-sized view.
Above: A third angle showing the current shoreline. This image was taken from atop our berm built to hold back the flood waters in March of 2003. Click on the image for a full-sized view.
Above and Below: Just for fun I included some images taken from the same spot in previous Septembers. Normally in September we are at the maximum lake level as the end of rainy season approaches. It is painful to think just how little water will remain when the next dry season ends (in June of 2012).
Below: Foxes are in the same family as dogs, coyotes, and wolves (Canidae). He was tending himself and looking away from me when I first noticed him.
In general foxes like open fields and wooded areas. Our lake has become an open field, perfect for foxes. They are primarily nocturnal, starting to hunt at sundown. Red foxes are opportunistic eaters. . . they will eat pretty much anything they can find (grasshoppers, beetles, crickets, berries, nuts, grains. . . and small animals like mice rabbits, birds, snakes and turtles).
Red foxes only use dens to have their babies. The rest of the time, they find an open place in the grass or brush to rest. Resting in the open makes it easier for them to spot predators. A fox den is usually an old burrow from another animal like a tortoise or armadillo. The fox makes it bigger and adds extra tunnels. The den may have up to five entrances, so the fox can make a quick escape if it has to. Also, red foxes have more than one den, and they often move their babies (kits) around to different dens while they are growing up.
Humans have completely eliminated their natural predators on the Florida peninsula (bobcats, lynxes, panthers, and wolves).
Below: The fox looked quite small from my vantage point (this image without enhancement).
After mating the male and female stay together. She is pregnant for 52 days, and five babies are usually born in March. They are blind and helpless for about two weeks. During this time, the female (vixen) stays in the den with the kits at all times, and the male brings her food. She feeds milk to the babies and keeps them warm and clean. When the babies are about six weeks old, they start coming out of the den. They fight with each other to decide who is the strongest (dominant). When they are about three months old, their parents bring mice back for them to practice hunting and eating. After six months, the kits are fully grown. In October, they head out on their own. Sometimes the female kits will stay with the mother and help her raise the next litter of kits during the following spring.
Below: When he figured out that I was human he took off at a very quick pace to the east, into the tall grass behind a neighbor's house.
Below: He moved very quickly. . .in this enhanced photo he is just a blur. Foxes are built to be long-distance runners, with tough toe pads and hard nails that are constantly extended.
I have an idea where the main den is and I'll keep it protected. . . perhaps put out some nuts and grain and see if they eat it. The squirrels have mostly gone missing from the woods so I suspect that is where the foxes are living part time.
Above: I knew something had been traveling through the mostly-dry lakebed as it has been leaving discernible tracks. I've highlighted the tracks and puddles in the image above. The white post in the image where I've noted "normal water level" is set to 24.5 feet above sea level. We are obviously about 10 feet lower than that level today. The lakeshore is at least 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) to the north.
Above: Another angle, looking more toward the northeast highlights the paths through the puddles that remain of Lake Theresa. Click on the image for a full-sized view.
Above: A third angle showing the current shoreline. This image was taken from atop our berm built to hold back the flood waters in March of 2003. Click on the image for a full-sized view.
Above and Below: Just for fun I included some images taken from the same spot in previous Septembers. Normally in September we are at the maximum lake level as the end of rainy season approaches. It is painful to think just how little water will remain when the next dry season ends (in June of 2012).
Below: Foxes are in the same family as dogs, coyotes, and wolves (Canidae). He was tending himself and looking away from me when I first noticed him.
In general foxes like open fields and wooded areas. Our lake has become an open field, perfect for foxes. They are primarily nocturnal, starting to hunt at sundown. Red foxes are opportunistic eaters. . . they will eat pretty much anything they can find (grasshoppers, beetles, crickets, berries, nuts, grains. . . and small animals like mice rabbits, birds, snakes and turtles).
Red foxes only use dens to have their babies. The rest of the time, they find an open place in the grass or brush to rest. Resting in the open makes it easier for them to spot predators. A fox den is usually an old burrow from another animal like a tortoise or armadillo. The fox makes it bigger and adds extra tunnels. The den may have up to five entrances, so the fox can make a quick escape if it has to. Also, red foxes have more than one den, and they often move their babies (kits) around to different dens while they are growing up.
Humans have completely eliminated their natural predators on the Florida peninsula (bobcats, lynxes, panthers, and wolves).
Below: The fox looked quite small from my vantage point (this image without enhancement).
After mating the male and female stay together. She is pregnant for 52 days, and five babies are usually born in March. They are blind and helpless for about two weeks. During this time, the female (vixen) stays in the den with the kits at all times, and the male brings her food. She feeds milk to the babies and keeps them warm and clean. When the babies are about six weeks old, they start coming out of the den. They fight with each other to decide who is the strongest (dominant). When they are about three months old, their parents bring mice back for them to practice hunting and eating. After six months, the kits are fully grown. In October, they head out on their own. Sometimes the female kits will stay with the mother and help her raise the next litter of kits during the following spring.
Below: When he figured out that I was human he took off at a very quick pace to the east, into the tall grass behind a neighbor's house.
Below: He moved very quickly. . .in this enhanced photo he is just a blur. Foxes are built to be long-distance runners, with tough toe pads and hard nails that are constantly extended.
I have an idea where the main den is and I'll keep it protected. . . perhaps put out some nuts and grain and see if they eat it. The squirrels have mostly gone missing from the woods so I suspect that is where the foxes are living part time.
OTHER PHOTOS:
To see some of our late summer butterflies go to PHILLIP'S NATURAL WORLD II
To see photos of our bumper crop of the poisonous Rattlebox go to PHILLIP'S NATURAL WORLD III
To see some of our late summer butterflies go to PHILLIP'S NATURAL WORLD II
To see photos of our bumper crop of the poisonous Rattlebox go to PHILLIP'S NATURAL WORLD III