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As usual.
The Fox Before: >>5080430
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fopmas
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>>5083517
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>>5083520
whoops, hit submit accidentally
anyway fox stink can't be THAT bad
probably just smells a bit foxy
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identify this paw
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>>5083460
They're not native nor were they imported into Japan. They're practically non-existent in their mythology as a result. Grey foxes / Urocyons are native almost exclusively to North America.
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>>5083549
Tanuki paw
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>>5083557
I was expecting a more interesting answer, but thanks anyway. It's interesting to wonder how pantheons and spirits apply beyond a culture's borders. If the spiritual beings (of Shinto) are real, then it reasons they would not be confined by the shores of Japan, and that humans only know a tiny fraction of what there is to know about them.

Imagine Americanized Shinto. The kitsune statues are of gray foxes holding a sheaf of corn, and their votive bibs have stars and stripes; the torii gates are painted red white and blue, the honden and haiden have a shingle roof and plastic siding, the foxes' shinsen food offering is ice cream, the chozubachi is a motion-detector hand sanitation station, and the saisen-bako accepts credit cards and app payment.
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Kiki...
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>>5083577
I'd try finding out their place in the mythologies of their native range, if I were you.
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>>5083584
Why do they hate grapes so much
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>>5083577
rare eye slit reveal
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hewwo
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>>5083562
the fox tree is generous this season, what a pretty fella
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>>5083577
Shinto is distinctly Japanese, it would not transfer well across borders. Consider local faiths and stories for the gray fox range, other faiths that respect foxes exist too.
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Would you want a fox for Christmas?
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>>5083633
I'm not equipped to take care of a fox around the year so just fopmas would be adequate
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>>5083517
Just like wolves evolved into different donestic breeds of dog, blanket foxes would evolve to match human sleep cycles, and as far as the smell aspect, people would just get used to it over generations
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>>5083514
>nothing to see here please move along!
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>>5083577
>>5083631
Native american religions are already shintoism, in their ways.
genetic research supposedly even has them as coming from the same people who formed the early japanese civilization.

It's not that much of a stretch to imagine the unerpinnings of modern shintoism, it goes so far back that nomads took it with them accross the bering straight.
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>>5083633
I want to be a fox for Christmas.
Permanently.
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>>5083636
>you will never be this carefree
anons going "i'd rather be a human" need to touch fluffy tail
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>>5083685
Your wish is granted. However, your genie is only aware of fennec foxes, so that is the species you shall become on December 25th.
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Is this a fox and if so what kind? Its been hanging around my house. Hard to tell but it looks like he might be missing a leg.
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>>5083723
The small head and tail shape are clear: it's a gray fox.
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>>5083562
And a red fox in a yew tree.

Oh hey. 12 species of Vulpes... 12 days of Christmas... it could work.

On the Twelfth Day of Foxmas, my true love gave to me:
twelve swifts a-sleeping
eleven bengals pouncing
ten kits a-leaping
nine tibetans staring
eight arctics gekkering
seven capes a-digging
six ruppells roaming
five golden fennecs
four pale fox
three blanfords
two corsac fox
And a red fox in a yew tree.
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>>5083670
The word you are looking for is animism. Native faiths varied by tribe, but could include henotheism and other modals too. Shintoism is animistic, but animism is not Shinto. Shinto as a concept may go back into pre-history, but the popular diety associated with foxes have the first written source of their name around the 8th century, and possible practices for a unspecific being of agriculture to the later 4th century.
>Origin
Native American mix is unlikely at best. There's more reason to suggest influence from Polynesia and Siberia, possibly by Altaic, Tungunistic among the northern direction.

But, that is enough digression from fox. Fox posting will continue and fox talk will be how I close. I will meet you in the forbidden lands if you want to banter more
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>>5083758
Not who you're replying to, but I'm enjoying this. Still feels on topic fox talk.
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TANU CENTIPEDE
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>>5083747
And now, as performed by an actual fox
>NYE-NYE-EE-EEE-EEE-E-E-EE-EE-EEE-EEE RRURURUURURUURUU mmnnnnm YAAAAAA
>>
How much of your brain's space is taken by foxes?
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>>5083855
>wake up
>open /fox/
>post a fox
>go to the /an/ catalog
>open /fox/
>oh right
>close tabs and check for new fox pictures on twitter
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What if we kissed under the mistlefox
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>>5083897
Under the danging pair of fox's jinglebells
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>>5083897
Cute squirrel dog
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>>5083855
About 20%, give or take. The rest is work, survival and social self monitoring (don't show co-workers the fox file size, dont say fox around the in-laws, etc)
>>
All 12 Vulpids can produce interspecies hybrids with each other (through artificial insemination) but AFAIK the only hybrid created so far, by man, has been the [arctic x red].

But due to natural range overlap, these have almost certainly occured naturally: [ruppells x red] [blanfords x red] [corsac x red] [blanfords x ruppells]

This episode of The Canid Project Podcast discusses wild canid species and interspecies hybrids, starting at 3 minutes: https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-canid-project/what-do-all-those-terms-mean-W1J_yCXh56B/

There are 66 possible intervulpine hybrid possibilities. (12x11)/2

I would personally like to see an arctic fox x fennec hybrid.
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Why do they call them "silvers" when they're obviously black
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>>5084032
silly you can't mix ice and fire
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>>5084033
It has to be seen in-l person to get why they're called "silver", but this photo is the best I've seen that captures the 'silver' effect.
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>>5084044
We already have the wood fox, fire fox, earth fox, and metal fox, so the water fox is the last elemental fox we need to unlock via vulpinalchemy. Who knows what secrets the water kitsune will unleash.
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>>5084032
Now I'm curious how that kind of hybridization works. If red foxes and arctic foxes have different chromosome counts how on earth do they successfully breed?
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>>5084046
Watching them experiment is heartbreaking though
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>>5084056
The sperm and egg each contribute their haploid chromosomes, and after fertilization the chromosomes that are most-similar pair up, but the extras from the parent with more chromosomes doesn't get paired up. These 'extra' chromosomes aren't a problem because all the genes are there to make the fox. It's only a problem when it comes to producing gametes, where meiosis requires chromosomes to pair with their homologs, which can't happen (not very well). Sterility, or limited fertility. is the result.

This is the chromosome count for foxes. Same chromosome count means likely fertile offspring. (Only these 8 species have had their chromosomes counted so far):
34 red fox (+0-8 'B-chomosomes')
36 tibetan, corsac
50 swift, kit, arctic
60 bengal
64 fennec
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>>5084069
Interesting fox science. So I guess it's like mules or ligers then.
Kind of weird that pairing two platinum foxes together is lethal, but foxes that aren't even the same species can manage at least 1 generation of offspring.
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What if we bred red foxes with red foxes and created even redder foxes
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>>5084066
Happy is the fox who has never been bathed.
Yet.
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>>5084107
>>
Mom they're talking about breeding foxes again
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Gray foxes WERE classified as Vulpes in the 1800s by some naturalists, they had these now-obsolete binomial names:

Vulpes Virginianus (Lesson, 1842)
Vulpes pennsylvanica (J. E. Gray, 1869)
Vulpes cinereoargentatus (Cope, 1899)

>>5084114
"sex of foxes" is a palindrome
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flomp
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>>5084116
Mr. Alarm, sex of foxes eat taco cats. Level madam, redder lil eyes, I gag. Wow. Todd erases a red dot.

Now I won.
>>
I learned something new. To the tanuki poster: Japanese Raccoon Dogs (38 chomosomes) are closer related to Vulpes, and Chinese (Common/Eurasian) raccoon dogs (54 chromosomes) are closer related to Urocyon. Their status is disputed, but they appear to be two entirely different species rather than subspecies. "it is unknown whether mainland raccoon dogs and Japanese raccoon dogs can produce fertile offspring, it is assumed that the chromosomal differences between them would have deleterious effects on the fertility of the potential offspring and this would be indicative of speciation"

https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/2928782
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>>5084271
Celebrate Vulpini diversiti!
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>>5084271 (You)
Oops disregards my claim about "closer to Vulpes"/"closer to Urocyon". I now realize the chart is arranged by descending chromosome number, NOT by genetic proximity (although foxes with the same number /are/ likely genetically close). The part about the two tanuki maybe being different species is still true though.
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>>5084251
>>
giggling at you while covering her mouth with the tip of her tail
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If you had a pet fox, would you prefer a male or female?
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>>5084333
Vixen because they piss everywhere slightly less
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>>
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post whiskers
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>>5084387
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I'd like to hear more from the high and drunk fox sniffer.
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>>5084387
>>
>>5084507
>>5084423
>>5084399
Nice ones, thank you.
For some reason my mind often blanks them out subconsciously until I focus on them and remember "oh yeah, whiskers are a thing"
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Foxes climb up trees and SHIT on wild berries to give you brain worms
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>>5084544
truly the cats of the canines
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whimpskers
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Imagine being a fox and pushing your snout into some hole to catch a vole and feeling your whiskers getting pushed back
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Japan guy, I got some questions before I visit Zao Fox Village & Kitakitsune Farm.

- Do they have security cameras everywhere?
- Do the employees watch *all* the visitors *all* the time?
- After they close, do all the employees go home? (read: do they have night security?)
- Are there any spots a visitor could hide before closing hours, and then come out after the employees go home, to interact with the foxes all I want? Bathroom seems obvious, but somewhere outside where the foxes are would be better, like inside those concrete tunnels the foxes sleep in.
- In general, which one has laxer staff supervision, Zao or Kita?
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>>5084580
I'll be keeping my eye on the news for any foreigners in Japan getting eaten by foxes
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foxes are vicious and deadly
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>>5084619
Don’t be fooled by their looks.
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>>5084580
Ill send an email to both places to watch out for lunatics like you
Hopefully youll do time in a nip prison
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>>5084680
I look like this and eat like this
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What's your opinion on flying foxes?
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>>5084619
Ehh, they can bite quite hard and scratch a bit. So long as you don't give them an important vein, it's only painful and needs isopropyl alcohol
Even the tiny ones can break skin though
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>>5084699
>>
>>5084664
I've seen furries who MALD over finding out foxes don't have exposed beans and are covered in fluff even on their paws
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>>5084714
I guess Nick and Judy have something to bond over.
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>>5084714
The fluff factor varies
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>>5084754
Another advantage to using foxes as our blankets:
They can sweep the floor when not in use.
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>>5084691
They're the most attractive bat, worthy of the honorary title fox. Other bats look disgusting, do an image search for "bat faces" if u dont beleive me

>>5084736
Imagine the smell.

>>5084774
Imagine the smell.

>>5084664
Imagine the smell.
>>
>>5084854
A fox’s paws generally have a strong, musky, and slightly "skunky" odor. This is due to a combination of sweat, bacteria, and specialized scent glands. Unlike most domestic dogs, foxes have active interdigital glands located between their toes. These glands secrete a pungent, oily fluid.

The Purpose: This scent acts as a "chemical trail." As a fox walks through its territory, it leaves behind a unique olfactory map that tells other foxes who has been there, which direction they were headed, and even their social status.

The "Foxy" Musk: Foxes are famously "aromatic" animals. They have sebaceous glands all over their body that release a scent often compared to skunk spray mixed with damp wood or even roasted coffee. Because foxes groom themselves like cats, this general body musk often transfers to their paws, layering onto the scent produced by the foot glands.

Bacteria and Sweat: Like dogs, foxes only sweat through their paws. In the wild, their paws are constantly in contact with soil, moisture, and prey. The interaction between their sweat and natural skin bacteria (like *Pseudomonas* and *Proteus*) can create a "savory, salty, or slightly fermented" smell, but it is almost always overpowered by the more intense "wild" musk of their scent glands.

Note: If you are asking because you have a pet fox, be aware that their paw scent can become much more intense during "rut" or breeding season, as their hormones significantly change their chemical output.

Would you like to know more about how foxes use these scents to communicate with each other?
>>
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>>5084854
>>5084881
Jannie oh Jannie, where art thou?
>>
>>5084639
Tha fuck... dude you ever heard of minding your own fucking business and not being a snitch? We fox fans are supposed to stick together and help each other out.
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*muffled fox sounds*
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>>5084881
Cringe
>>5084854
If they are like wolves, they smell variously based on location. The back of the ears would be corn chips, the coat a musk which can very with gender and season. The paws would be earthy, iirc.
Part of the reason the smells vary are the species of bacteria/yeast-like stuff iirc in some spots, and glands in others.
The cottle mark would be something else. Then there's other glands, but this is the limit of my fox smell knowledge, if they line up in any way with wolves.
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>>5084854
Anon needs to get some sniffs in for us when he goes to Japan
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>>5084933
prööööööh
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>>5084960
Kitsune no nikukyu o kagitai na.
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What if foxes had four ears
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>>5084854
>:(
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>>5084854
Many bats have big pointy ears, though, which is the best feature an animal can have
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this picture goes hard
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>>5085047
Hey now...
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>>5084908
>fox_cringe.jpg
>>5084951
>cringe
I could've asked it to explain fox paws' aroma in uwu-speak, mind you. Which I shall do now, and which you must now read aloud to yourself in its entirety.

OwO! Hewwo! *wiggles ears and nuzzles u* Have u ever wondewed why a foxy’s beans smell so... *intense*? Let me tell u all about dose musk-y wusky toe beans in the cutest way possible!

The Secwet of the Foxy Musk-y
A foxy’s pawsies genewally have a stwong, musky, and a wittle bit "skunky-wunky" odow. *sniff sniff* This is because of all the sweat-weaty, tiny bactewia fwends, and speciawized scent glands! Unlike domestic doggos, foxes have active 'intewdigitaw glands' wight between deir toesies! Dese glands secwete a pungent, oiwy fwuwid that smells vewy... *distinctive*. OwO

The Puwpose (The Smelly Map!)
This scent acts wike a "chemicaw twail." As a fopsywopsy walks thwough deir tewwitowy, dey weave behind a unique *owfactowy map*! It tells other fopks:
- Who has been dewe!
- Which way dey wewe wunning!
- And even deir sociaw status! (Are dey a big boss foxy? UwU)

The "Foxy" Scent-y
Fonks are famouswy "awomatic" fwen-shaps. Dey have sebaceous glands all ovew deir fluffy bodies dat welease a scent wike skunk spway mixed wih damp wood ow even woasted coffee! *mlem* Because foxes gwoom demselves wike kitties, dat body musk gets aww ovew deir pawsies, making a big, smelly layew-cake of scents!

Bactewia and Sweat-ies
Just wike doggos, fopsy only sweat thwough deir paws. In the wild, deir beans are constantwy touching diwt, moisture, and pwey. When deir sweat meets tiny bactewia it can smells "savowy, sawty, ow fewmented"—but it’s awmost always ovewpowewed by dat intense "wild" musk!

A wittle note: If u have a pet foxy fwend, be vewy cawefuw! Deir paw scent can get way, WAY mowe intense duwing "wut" ow bweeding season. Dose hormones make deir chemicaw output go *poof*!

Would you wike me to describe any othew foxy facts in this cutesy way for u? UwU



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