Certain fox species dive into the snow to catch prey. This is a hunting mechanism called rat hunting. Red fox (Vulpes Vulpes Vulpes) and arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) It can dive into the snow at a speed of 2-4m/s. Scientists at Cornell University have found in a new study that a highly curved, elongated snout generates less impact force when it penetrates the snow, reducing the chance of injury in a crash. This skull shape allows the fox to reach deep into the snow, giving it an advantage in catching small rodents at greater depths. As a result, the authors predict that red and arctic foxes living in snow-covered areas will have higher hunting success when hunting mice in the snow.
Yuku other. They studied a hunting technique employed by red foxes and arctic foxes known as mousing. In this hunting technique, they dive headfirst into the snow to capture their prey. Image credit: Yellowstone National Park.
The red fox and the arctic fox dive into the snow to catch their prey. This behavior is known as mouse trapping.
These foxes can locate animals under several feet of snow due to their excellent sensitivity to rustling sounds that peak at frequencies between 2 and 10 kHz.
The fox senses the location of its prey and quickly dives into the snow at 2 to 4 meters per second, catching it completely by surprise.
Previous studies investigated this mouse behavior in terms of diving mechanisms and success rates.
Red foxes tended to jump in a northeast direction, and hunting success was much higher when foxes jumped in this direction compared to all other directions, suggesting that foxes take advantage of the Earth's magnetic field. It was suggested that they were hunting.
However, the mechanical aspects of snow diving, which are also important for hunting success, are not well understood.
“The fox's sharp snout does not compact the snow significantly and penetrates it with little resistance,” said Professor Seong-Hwan Jeong, a researcher in Cornell University's Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering.
In the study, Professor Jung and his colleagues scanned the skulls of foxes and arctic foxes, as well as lynx and puma skulls.
They 3D printed skulls and attached sensors to each to measure impact forces.
The skulls were then dropped into both snow and water, and the researchers fed the data into a computer model to compare the effects of both.
Researchers found that the fox's sharp nose penetrates the snow with little resistance, minimizing potential tissue damage when diving headfirst.
Professor Chong said, “Despite the high-speed impact, snow behaves like water if it is not compressed very much.''
“However, the flattened feline's snout compacted the snow upon impact, creating significant and potentially damaging drag.”
When targeting mice in the snow, the fox's long snout allows it to reach its prey faster, since the mouse is very sensitive to surrounding movements and can quickly escape.
Other behavioral studies have shown that foxes listen for the rustling of mice and other animals beneath the snow by shaking their heads before plunging, thereby gauging the depth of the sound source.
“Although this is a very dangerous process, there have been no reports of foxes being injured,” Professor Chong said.
Regarding this research, paper inside Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Jisoo Yuk other. 2024. Effects of skull morphology on fox snowdiving. PNAS 121 (19): e2321179121; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2321179121
Source: www.sci.news
