Fishing behavior in the red fox: opportunistic-caching behavior or surplus killing?

Abstract

he red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a mesocarnivore species that exploits opportunistically a wide range of prey items that are consumed as a function of their abundance and availability (Díaz-Ruiz et al., 2013). Fish are an unusual prey group in the diet of red foxes that is occasionally reported in dietary studies (e.g., Basuony et al., 2005; Wagnon & Serfass, 2017), but we do not know if the red fox obtains fish from scavenging or active hunting. Here, we report what may be the first known case of several fish hunted by a red fox. We raise different reasons to explain the observed novel behavior and discuss its ecological implications.