Fox sounds many of you have probably heard before, mainly when you have been out in nature at dusk. Among these sounds are the ranting sounds, which can be heard mainly in the winter months. What exactly the Ranzlaute are, you will learn when you continue reading our article.

Difference between a fox sound and the rancid sound

The sounds of the fox are varied and like the voice pitch with humans also with the fox mood-dependent. In addition, there is also the change of seasons, because especially in the winter time you can hear the fox more often. Because through a distinctive barking that takes place in a very high pitch, the foxes in winter are looking for a suitable partner.

This barking sound is the mating sound and is only used by the fox in the mating season. Other fox sounds are whimpering, a kind of screaming and also the so called bleating. As you can see, the repertoire is large and the foxes are mainly active at night and exactly at these times you will also hear these sounds.

Fox sounds in your own garden

It is not uncommon in modern times that the fox has found a second home in residential areas. Because here he has a rich food supply, since the fox is an omnivore. So he finds in the residential areas, in addition to delicious rabbits and birds even fish, squirrels, mice, worms and a large number of insects. But this is not the end of the menu of the fox.

Because he also feeds on seeds and fruits. Particularly popular with foxes in search of food is the waste of us humans. Thus, small garbage cans can be knocked over by a fox, so that he can get to the goodies that can be found there for him. Also a compost heap, can be a larder for him and even foxes have been observed stealing the leftovers from a cooled grill.

Fox sound - shrill scream

The shrill crying of a fox can be almost frightening for skittish people. Because it sounds almost, like a long-drawn pain cry, but can also sound like the shrill crying, a baby. This cry has a very high pitch, sounds slightly hoarse and persists in one tone. This cry lasts between 3 and 10 seconds and is repeated several times.

However, this shrill cry has only remotely to do with pain in a fox. This is because it is almost always the female's call to attract the attention of nearby male foxes. Therefore, this fox sound is also heard almost exclusively in the mating season of the fox.

As is so often the case, the exceptions confirm the rule, because male foxes also use this shrill cry. Namely, when they want to aggressively defend their territory against a rival.

Fox sound - the barking

As we have already described above, barking is a typical fox sound primarily during the mating season. Among hunters and animal researchers, this sound is also called rancid barking. It occurs during the mating season of foxes in the months from December to February and so mainly the female foxes (fawns) try to attract the males.

But also the male foxes bark regularly. On the one hand also during the mating season, in order to give the females answer, the far more frequent kind of the barking is however the so-called Keckern. Here is barked three times in quick succession, indicating that this is an occupied territory. The barking of the fox is, if one knows it once, to be distinguished very well from that of a dog.

Although it sounds similar, it is significantly higher in pitch. Sometimes so high that inexperienced listeners can mistake it for the hoot of an owl.

Fox sounds - growl

Similar to a dog, the fox also begins to growl when threatened. He also puts on his ears and he gets ready to jump to defend himself forward. This growling is mainly used when the fox has to defend its territory and, of course, when it fights with a male conspecific for a female.

If you encounter a fox growling at you, you should walk backwards slowly and make yourself appear as large as possible to impress the fox. So don't slump, but stretch out and walk straight backwards with your arms slightly open to remove yourself from the fox's range of action.

The whimpering at the fox

Foxes are in principle loners, but they often meet and sometimes claim the same territory. Here there is a hierarchy, which is carried out with a similar communication, as with a dog. Thus foxes show their submissiveness by giving a whimper. This can increase so far that this ends in a regular screaming.

This crying sounds like what we described earlier in this article. If you hear a whimpering that increases to a scream, then you can assume that a lower-ranking animal has submitted to a higher-ranking animal or has surrendered after a fight.

Fox sounds of the young

Young foxes learn the sounds from their mother and some are already instinctive. In young foxes, the most common sound is whimpering, which they use to try to communicate that they are hungry. However, sometimes this whining is also used to get attention from the parent. They quickly learn how the nipping and barking works and use it.

Nevertheless, small foxes can also distinctly bleat and bark. Here is a little film that illustrates the sounds of the little foxes for you

Why we hear the fox at night

It is rare to see or hear a fox during the day. The reason is that the foxes are nocturnal animals and, accordingly, can be seen and heard only at dusk or at night. This is where they go to forage and meet to live their mating rituals. The screaming of foxes at night, many people can not assign and so it is not uncommon in cities that the police is called to report the screaming.