The Fox
(Sionnach) Foxes are part of the dog family. They howl and bark just like dogs do. A fox has excellent hearing and can hear its prey from a long distance. They eat chickens, mice, rabbits, worms, snails, birds, rats and scraps from rubbish bins. They are found all over Ireland. Foxes are nocturnal and they are very clever. Farmers don't like them because they eat chickens and their eggs.
Foxes sleep in warm, dark burrows. The vixen can have five cubs at one time. They are born in March or April. When the cubs are born they are blind for about six weeks. Both parents teach the young cubs to hunt and fight for themselves. The fox's bushy tail usually has a white tio and is sometimes called a brush. The Irish fox is really the Red Fox. The Irish name is madra rua, or an sionnach.
By Billy Croly and Barry Naughton
