Do you know about Foxes? 🦊

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Speaker 1: Hi, science fans. Guess what. We are launching season four of sleep Tight Science this September, and we need your help to make it extra special. Did you know that your voice can be part of our show? We want to hear your amazing voices in our show opening. It's super easy and fun to join in. Just record yourself saying you are listening to sleep Tight Science. Then send your recording to the email address in our show notes. How cool is that. We can't wait to hear all your fantastic voices. Thank you for listening. You're listening to sleep Tight Science. Did you know foxes have impressive dance moves? What When hunting they perform a leap called mousing where they jump and dive headfirst into the ground to catch prey, almost like they're dancing. Hello, friends, and welcome back to sleep Tight Science, a bedtime show that answers your questions about science. In this episode, we are going to talk about the clever and captivating world of foxes. We'll learn about their physical characteristics, discover the diverse habitats they call home, explore the different types of foxes around the world, and munch on some knowledge about what these cute animals eat. After that, we'll tackle some listeners questions and add fun facts to satisfy your fox curiosity. So if you're cozy and comfortable, let's start with what physically defines a fox. Foxes belong to the kneedie family, which also includes dogs, wolves, and other similar animals. However, foxes have several unique traits that set them apart. They are generally smaller than their canine cousins, with a more slender appearance, pointed ears, and bushy tails known as brushes that they use for balance and communication. Most foxes have elongated snouts and a distinctive, sharp facial structure that enhances their keen senses, especially their eyesight, which is crucial for nocturnal hunting. Are also known for their incredible adaptability, allowing them to inhabit a wide range of environments. While commonly associated with the woodlands, foxes are found in mountains, grasslands, deserts, and even Arctic tundras. This adaptability also extends to urban areas. With their crafty nature, foxes can make their homes in cities and suburbs, living quite successfully alongside human populations. The red fox is the most widespread and recognizable species, known for its bright fur and long, bushy tail. It is incredibly adaptable and has the largest natural distribution of any land mammal except humans, covering most of North America, Europe, Asia, and parts of North Africa. In Australia, where it was introduced by humans, it has become a dominant predator. In contrast, the Arctic fox, which thrives in extremely cold environments, boasts a white coat that camouflages it against snowy landscapes. The coat changes to a brown or gray color during the summer, blending with the tundra's summer palate. This species is smaller than the red fox and has a more rounded, compact body shape to conserve heat. Another fascinating species is the fenic fox, native to the Sahara Desert. It is the smallest of all fox species. It features huge ears that help scatter heat and enhance hearing, key for detecting prey in the desert landscape. The gray fox primarily found in North and Central America. It is notably adept at climbing trees, a skill many of its cousins lack. This ability allows it to escape predators and hunt for arboreal prey. Making it a unique figure in the fox family. There are also some lesser known types of foxes, like the swift fox, which lives in the grasslands of western North America, and the Bengal fox found in India. Each type of fox has special features that help it live in its particular home, showing just how smart and adaptable foxes are. Foxes have some pretty cool behaviors and social structures. While generally solitary hunters, foxes can be more social during the breeding season. They communicate through a series of barks, howls, and screeches. The ability to express various emotions and intention through sound is crucial for a typically solitary animal during mating season or when raising young in dens to sum up. Foxes are incredibly diverse and adaptable animals that thrive in many different environments worldwide. Now, let's explore what these resourceful animals eat and see how their diets help them stay sharp and savvy in their various homes. Did you know that a fox's tail is like a Swiss army knife. It's not just for show. It helps them balance, keeps them warm, and is used to communicate with other foxes. Foxes eat many different things. Like us, they have a very diet, but what they eat can change depending on where they live and what time of year it is. First, did you know that foxes are omnivores. That means they eat both plants and other animals. This makes them super adaptable and able to live in many different places, from snowy mountains to busy cities. So what do foxes like to munch on? Well, their menu is quite large. They love to eat small animals like mice, rabbits, and birds. These provide lots of protein, which gives them energy to run, play and stay healthy. But that's not all. Foxes are also great at hunting insects like grasshoppers and beetles, especially during the summer when these little critters are everywhere. What do you think grasshoppers and beetles taste like? Do you think they are yummy? Foxes don't just eat meat. They also love to snack on fruits and veggies. Berries, fruits, and nuts are some of their favorite plant foods. During the fall, you might find a fox in a forest munching on fallen fruits like apples, plums, and cherries. They even dig in gardens sometimes to snack on vegetables. But do foxes eat the same thing everywhere? Not really. Foxes are found all over the world, and their diet changes based on what food is available in their home area. Exaus ample, a fox living in the city might learn to check trash bins for leftovers, while a fox living near the ocean might catch small crabs or fish. The seasons also change what a fox eats. In the spring and summer, when the earth is full of life, foxes eat lots of rodents and bugs. But in the winter, when snow covers the ground and food is harder to find, they might eat more plants or whatever they can find, like frozen berries or stored nuts. Foxes are also known for being sneaky and smart about their food. They have lots of tricks. For instance, if a fox finds more food than it can eat, it might bury some to save for later. This is called cashing. Foxes remember where they've hidden their food, which is really important when they get hungry again. And here's a fun fact. Foxes use their amazing sense of smell to find food buried under snow or soil. Their noses are so good they can smell food even if it is hidden. Really well. This helps them a lot, especially when food is challenging to find. So foxes have a pretty exciting diet. They eat a variety of foods and are constantly adapting to find the best meals in their homes, whether it's a deep forest, a snowy hill, or even near our homes in the city. Did you know foxes have some quirky sleeping habits. When foxes sleep, they like to wrap themselves up with their fluffy tails to keep warm. It's like having a built in blanket wherever they go. Now, let's try to answer some listener questions. First, Veronica Foot from Jackson, Michigan asks why the sun is so hot and how it got so hot. The Sun is a bit like a giant cooking pot that's always boiling. Inside the Sun is a lot of hydrogen gas, the lightest and most basic kind of gas. When the Sun formed, all this hydrogen got squeezed together really tightly because there was so much of it and it had nowhere to go. This squeezing, caused by gravity, created enormous pressure and heat in the Sun's center. When things get really hot, like they do inside the Sun, the tiny particles of hydrogen start smashing into each other. This smashing is so intense that it causes the hydrogen to fuse together, creating a new kind of gas called helium. Every time this happens, a little bit of energy is released as heat and light. This process is called nuclear fusion, and it's like billions of tiny firecrackers going off all the time. That's why the Sun is so hot, and it keeps making heat and light that warm up our Earth every day. So the Sun is so hot because it's filled with hydrogen gas that gets squeezed by gravity, causing the hydrogen atoms to fuse into helium and release tremendous heat and light through nuclear fusion. I hope that answers your question, Veronica. Next we have a question from Alice, who is nine years old and from Mescouche, Quebec. Alice asks how screens make different colors when they are just red, blue, and green. Great question. Screens like those on your TV or computer can show millions of colors, but they do so using just three primary colors, red, blue, and green. You can think of it as being like mixing paints. Each tiny spot on the screen called a pixel, has a little bit of red, green, and blue light. When you want to make a new color, the screen changes how bright each light is. If the screen mixes red and green light, you get yellow, If it mixes red and blue, you get purple. And if it turns all three colors on full blast, you get white. So by adjusting how much red, green, and blue light comes out of each pixel, the screen can make all the different colors you see. It seems like magic, but it's just a smart way of mixing lights. Thank you for the question, Alice. Lastly, we have a question from Jesse, who is four years old and from Brazil. Jesse wants to know why our voices are a little hoarse and weird when we wake up in the morning. When you wake up in the morning, your voice sounds a little different. It's because while you were sleeping, you weren't talking or using your voice. This can dry your voice box or larnyx because you're not swallowing or drinking water, which normally keeps it moist. Also, lying down for a long time can cause a little bit of acid from your stomach to come up into your throat, which can irritate it a bit. Plus, if you were making big snores or breathing through your mouth instead of your nose, your throat might be extra dry. All of this together makes your voice sound a little strange until you get up, start talking, drinking and swallowing more, which helps your voice return to normal. So when you wake up in the morning, have a glass of water and slowly you will sound just like your normal self. Thank you for the question, Jesse. Now for some fun facts. Did you know a group of foxes is called a skulk or a leash. While foxes are usually seen a lot, they have a rather sneaky sounding name for their group when they do get together. Did you know foxes have retractable claws like cats. This helps them quietly sneak up on their prey, keeping their claws sharp and ready for action. Red foxes love the forest, where they can use their cunning nature to the fullest. They are incredible at hiding and sneaking through the dense forest to hunt or evade predators. They're so sneaky that they can find their way around in near silence, hardly leaving a trace. But not all foxes stick to the shadows of the forest or the chill of the Arctic. The gray fox can often be found lounging in the brush along beaches and marshes, where it's easier to find crabs to munch on. Did you know foxes can make more than forty different sounds, from howls and barks to shrieks and chuckles. Foxes can express themselves in a variety of ways, depending on their mood and needs. Did you know foxes have whiskers on their legs and faces. These aren't just for looks. Foxes use their whiskers to help them navigate, especially when it's dark. Foxes are one of the most widely distributed mammals on the planet. They can make their home just about anywhere, including forests, grasslands, mountains, and even Arctic tundras. But did you know they're also urban adventurers. Foxes have adapted to city life so well that they're often spotted sneaking around skyscrapers as comfortably as they would in a way wood land setting. We have one last question to leave you with, why did the fox win the art contest because he was the best at drawing fur realistic portraits? You may have a better answer to that question. In this episode, we learned a little about foxes. We learned about their physical characteristics, discovered the diverse habitats they call home, explored the different types of foxes around the world, and munched on some knowledge about what these cute animals eat. We had questions from Veronica Foot about the sun, Alice about the colors on a screen, and Jesse about our voices and why they sound the way they do in the morning. Thank you to Walt Holden from Utah, Olivia age nine from Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Fred age five from Nottingham, UK, Oliver, age eight from Providence, Rhode Island, Clive age seven, Lily age seven from Sydney, Australia, Sebastian Arthur, age six in Sweden, jj age eight, Samantha Clover age seven and a half, River Wilson, age seven from Charleston, South Carolina, Teddy and Hudson Tias age eight from Bakersfield, California. We would love to get your feedback on our show. If you have any feedback, please send it our way. If you want to make sure you get all the episodes, please ask your parents to subscribe. 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