THE BENGAL FOX

The Bengal fox (Vulpes bengalensis), also known as the Indian fox, is a fox endemic to the Indian subcontinent from the Himalayan foothills and Terai of Nepal through southern India, and from southern and eastern Pakistan to eastern India and southeastern Bangladesh.

A small-sized Fox. Coat is short and smooth, variable in color, from silver gray to grayish rufous, minutely speckled with white, pale rufous yellowish or creamy white ventrally, varying with the season and locality. Chin and throat are white. Long, pointed ears, dark brown on the back, with black margin, white inside. Rhinarium is naked and lips are black. Elongated muzzle. Black spot on each side of the muzzle in front of the eye. Limbs are brownish to bright rufous. Tail is long and bushy, with a dark patch over the caudal gland, and a sharply defined black tip. Females have 3 pairs of mammae.

About the species

Reproduction and behavior

Gestation: 53 days.
Young per birth: 3-6.
Weaning: 30 days.
Sexual maturity: 1-2 months.
Life span: 6-8 years.
Breeding season: Between November and January.

Births occur from February to April. They use more than 1 breeding den during the reproductive period, possibly to avoid predators. Dens are situated in the open plains, and typically have various entrances. In alluvial plains, dens take advantage of any small rise in the ground, to prevent being flooded. In human dominated landscapes, they may use human-made structures (tailings, irrigation bunds, pipes). During pup-rearing season, most of the time is spent in resting, followed by searching for food. One parent always watches the activity of pups outside the den. The breeding pairs may last an entire lifetime.

Diet and interaction with the environment

The Bengal foxes are omnivorous, they eat insects, small mammals (rodents), reptiles, birds and fruit. Their diet consists mainly of orthopterans, termites, ants, beetles, spiders, soft-furred rat, little Indian field mouse, Indian gerbil, Indian mynah, grey partridge and ashy-crowned finch lark. Less common prey items include ground lizards, oriental rat snake, Madras hedgehog and Indian hare. They feed on fruits of ber, neem, mango, jambu and banyan. The Bengal fox is also considered to be a predator of eggs and possibly bustard chicks. Scats of young pups indicated that they primarily feed rodents.

Their main predators are the wolves and feral dogs. Crepuscular and nocturnal, may also hunt at mid-day in absence of large predators and abundance of food. They seem to hunt alone. Not strictly territorial, but exhibit this behavior sometimes. It is a den-dependent species, and breeding pairs use dens primarily for reproduction and pup-rearing, but also for resting during the dry season. Dens are large and complex with multiple chambers and escape routes. Wide range of vocalizations: a chattering cry is the most common call, but also growl, whine, whimper and bark. t does not appear to practice site-specific defecation.

Bengal foxes are predominantly crepuscular and nocturnal; while individuals may sometimes become active during cool periods of daytime, they typically spend warmer daylight hours under vegetation or in subterranean dens. They use three distinct types of den: basic, compact dens with two openings used for short rest periods, complex dens with multiple openings, and dens under rocks or rock crevices. The basic social unit of the Bengal Fox is the breeding pair, formed by a pair of bonds that can last for many years. Larger aggregations may occur while grown pups linger longer than average in the natal community.

Other findings indicate that Bengal foxes can sometimes be more social. Female Bengal foxes were reported to share dens during lactation and four adult foxes were seen emerging from the same den. Bengal foxes are not especially suspicious of humans and can be found near human habitation. They are easy to tame.

Habitat:

They are native to Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. Endemic to the Indian subcontinent, ranging from the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal to the southern tip of the Indian peninsula. In the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, it extends from Sindh Province of Pakistan to northern Bengal in India.

Habitat: semi-arid, flat to undulating terrain, scrub and grassland. It avoids dense forests, steep terrain, tall grasslands and true deserts. They may compete with the desert race of the Red Fox. They do not penetrate into the mountainous tracts of Balochistan or the Himalayas. Tolerant of human presence, they can be found

in agricultural fields and the vicinity of rural habitation.

Conservation status: Least Concern. Regional status: Vulnerable in Bangladesh and Nepal, near threatened in Pakistan. Protected in India and Bangladesh, but it has not been the focus of targeted conservation efforts. Widespread in the Indian subcontinent, but occurring at low densities throughout its range, with population on the decline due to loss of short grassland-scrub habitat to intensive agriculture, industry and development projects. There is also a limited localized trade for skin, tail, fur, and teeth and claws. There is no quantitative data available on its population size.

While the Bengal fox is common, it usually occurs at low densities across its range, and populations may experience significant fluctuations due to prey abundance and disease (canine distemper virus and rabies, which have been confirmed to cause local population declines in western India). Any human disruptions can be tolerated, but with the increase of human populations and the increased growth of grasslands for agricultural and industrial use, the habitat of the Bengal fox is continually being reduced. The combination of the above causes, combined with disease and/or natural mortality, could potentially cause localized extirpation.

Lack of habitat protection is perhaps the greatest threat to the Bengal fox. For example, in southern India, less than 2% of potential Indian fox habitat is covered under the existing protected area network of the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Hunting for its skin and flesh, as well as conversion of its grassland habitat to agriculture, industry, and increasingly bio-fuel plantations, have affected its population density. In addition, its body parts are used in traditional medicine, and in some areas it is eaten. They are hunted by the narikuruva tribes of southern India. In Karnataka, they are captured in rituals conducted during Sankranthi.