fox

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One of the smaller species of wild dog of the family Canidae, which live in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Foxes feed on a wide range of animals from worms to rabbits, scavenge for food, and also eat berries. They are very adaptable, maintaining high populations close to urban areas.

Most foxes are nocturnal, and make an underground den, or ‘earth’. The common or red fox Vulpes vulpes is about 60 cm/2 ft long plus a tail (‘brush’) 40 cm/1.3 ft long. The fur is reddish with black patches behind the ears and a light tip to the tail. Other foxes include the Arctic fox Alopex lagopus, the fennec, the grey foxes genus Urocyon of North and Central America, and the South American genus Dusicyon, to which the extinct Falkland Islands dog belonged.

Red and white are traditional colours, dating back to the flag of 19th-century Samoan king, Malietoa Laupepa. The Southern Cross constellation links Samoa to other countries in the southern hemisphere. Effective date: 4 July 1997. >>