Ezo Red Fox in Winter

The Ezo red foxes live all over Hokkaido island. Officially a subspecies of the red fox, Vulpes vulpes schrencki, they inhabit the islands of Hokkaido, Sakhalin and the Southern Kuril Islands.

For those of us who live in Hokkaido, they are a familiar face that we often see in the city. However, people should be careful not to get close to them because they are hosts to a parasite called Echinococcus. Echinococcus (a type of tapeworm) is said to have spread to Hokkaido through fur fox farming in the Aleutian Islands and Kuril Islands. Sadly, the Ezo red fox has become the definitive host of the parasite Echinococcus. There are programs for delivering anthelmintic drugs to the fox population to reduce the infection rate.

A pair of Ezo red foxes during the breeding season (Notsuke Peninsula).
A pair of Ezo red foxes during the breeding season (Notsuke Peninsula).

During the summer, Ezo red foxes don’t look very beautiful because their fur sheds unevenly. Unlike the Japanese red foxes of mainland Japan (a subspecies of the red fox, Vulpes vulpes japonica), the Ezo red fox, Vulpes vulpes schrencki, which inhabits Hokkaido, north of the Blakiston’s line, has fluffy winter fur and gives it that beautiful look.

The bushy fur covers the Ezo red fox

Also, the whiteness of the snow makes their brown fur stand out. Especially from February to March, during their breeding season, they are often seen in pairs. If you are lucky, you may see them chasing each other playfully, or mating in the forest.

A couple of playful Ezo red foxes.
A couple of playful Ezo red foxes.
A couple of playful Ezo red foxes.

Photo & text: Shohei MORITA (Shiretoko Serai)

*Contact  us, Saiyu Travel for more information about wildlife and bird watching in Hokkaido. We can make various arrangements for your trip. We have a guesthouse, Shiretoko Serai, in Rausu, Shiretoko Peninsula.

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Love Is In The Air For The Hokkaido Fox! (Teshikaga, Hokkaido)

キタキツネの求愛 courtship of Ezo red fox Wildlife of Japan 北海道の野生動物

2021 Winter Report from Eastern Hokkaido Photography Tour

Towards the end of the second half of the tour, we could encounter some Ezo red foxes in the yard of the lodge “ Masuya” in Teshikaga. Every year from the end of January to late March is the mating season for foxes; and their offspring might be born around late March to early May. We were there in the middle of mating season, in mid-February, when we saw these two foxes behaving a little oddly. While observing them, we witnessed the courting and then mating behaviors. Come April, you may be able to see the kits of this red fox pair in Masuya’s yard.
Our delightful encounter with these two courting red foxes in the snowy forest landscape was an unforgettable moment.

Mating of Ezo red foxes キタキツネの交尾|西遊旅行

 

Images & Text: Mariko SAWADA
Observation: Feb 2021, Teshikaga, Hokkaido
Special Thanks : Lodge ” Masuya”

*Contact  us, Saiyu Travel for more information about wildlife and bird watching in Hokkaido. We can make various arrangements for your trip. We have a guesthouse, Shiretoko Serai, in Rausu, Shiretoko Peninsula.

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