Foxes: Dog Hardware, Cat Software | Animal IQ

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Foxes may look like tiny dogs, but they pounce like cats -- what’s going on inside the brains of these incredible animals? We called David and Amy Bassett to learn more! How badly do you want to play with the Bassett’s foxes?
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Foxes are described as “dog hardware running cat software.” These animals are incredible problem solvers, build extremely detailed mental maps of their environment, and can recognize individuals. Over the last 70 years, some foxes were selectively bred to be friendly to humans, and these descendants behave completely differently than their wild counterparts. What can we learn about #animalintelligence from #domesticatedfoxes? Natalia and Trace talk to David and Amy Bassett from the JAB Canid Education and Conservation Center in California to find out.
Special thanks to:
:: Save a Fox in Minnesota for some adorable fox footage ::
Help them save foxes here: SaveAFox.org
Watch their foxes on KZbin here: / saveafox
:: JAB Canid Education and Conservation Center ::
Website: www.siberiancupcakes.com
On Animal IQ we dig into the research and talk to the experts to find out just how smart animals appear to be. We then use that knowledge to fill in our AIQ Rubric across five domains of intelligence: Social, Rational, Awareness, Ecological, and our own intelligence X-Factor. Every animal is clever, but their talents vary based on their evolution, biology, values, adaptations and environment. We hope y'all learn how each of our animals tick on Animal IQ!
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You can also seek out our experts and hosts here:
:: JAB Canid Education and Conservation Center ::
Website: www.siberiancupcakes.com
:: Dr Natalia Borrego ::
Instagram: / untamedbiologist
Lion Lab website: lioncenter.umn.edu/natalia-bo...
:: Trace Dominguez ::
Twitter: / tracedominguez
Instagram: / tracedominguez
KZbin: / tracedominguez
📚 READ MORE
How to Tame a Fox and Build a Dog
www.americanscientist.org/art...
A decades-long experiment opens up like a set of Russian nesting dolls, to reveal story after story, each embedded within the one that preceded it. The majority of foxes reacted aggressively when approached. A much smaller number cowered in fear. The smallest number stayed calm throughout. Foxes from that 10 percent of the population were selected for the experiment.
Maps in the head
aeon.co/essays/how-cognitive-...
We humans have been mapping space for many centuries, and our maps have greatly improved over this time so that now they are very useful for navigating. In antiquity, maps such as the beautiful Mappa Mundi did have features of the landscape - islands and capes - that were arranged in roughly the right relationship to each other; but the scale was wrong, the shapes of the coastlines were wrong, and there was no convention to place North at the top of the page as we do nowadays.
What Friendly Foxes Reveal About Social Psychology
www.psychologytoday.com/us/bl...
In ancient traditions throughout the world, the fox is considered the ultimate trickster. The Moche community of modern-day Peru believed the fox to be a warrior that would use mental powers to defeat its enemies. In the Celtic tradition, the fox is a mischievous and elusive shapeshifter, switching effortlessly between human and canine form.

[@TraceDominguez]

I knew foxes were smart but the fact that they map a room so well that if you move a chair a few centimeters they’ll know and go investigate?! These animals are BANANAS smart.

[@josefanon8504]

timestamp please?

[@hakunamatata1352]

Please consider crows and ravens, also please consider goats! Are goats smarter than dogs? And sheep. My ma told me that in her family farm's sheep population, there were always some indivuals that they called 'leader-sheep'. Now, if the leader sheep were prone to getting into places they weren't supposed to be at (run away or to areas where veggies or grass for winter was being grown), that was a problem. Because the other sheep would follow once the leader sheep found a way.

[@hakunamatata1352]

Also, thank you all for an awesome show. I love this new series!

[@sandrastratton6964]

pigs are pretty smart too, which is sad cause we eat them

[@timan2039]

My dog always alerts on anything larger than a small branch or something that breaths and is new outside from the his last exposure. I never doubt a critters intelligence unless it is a human critter (◕ᴥ◕ʋ)

[@suokkos]

Wild red fox walked opposite direction on pedestrian path in Laakso, Helsinki, Finland. It looked at me, moved from centre of path to right side and continued past me. It seemed to evaluate me as a low risk person who can be ignored.

[@TraceDominguez]

just a hoomin. nothing to worry baout

[@haze6647]

They will run if they are in america, and they will wear a kevlar.

[@DFX2KX]

@@haze6647 you joke, but they seriously do know who's yard to stay clear of. When I lived in Georgia, they'd hang out in my hard (kept the field mice in check, so I didn't mind them at all), the hunters two doors down? Nope. Hell, if he walked over to my gate and they where in the backyard, they'd be in the trees like that.

[@haze6647]

@@DFX2KX well, i am half joking, half, even my cat know which people he shouldn't interact with, dog also known to remember human faces, so do crow, and elephant, i didn't know with fox, but i was guessing that they did because they like a cat and dog so it shouldn't be that different, thanks for confirming it tho.

[@outside8312]

The foxes in my neighborhood have a pet chicken, I can't tell if they are smarter or dumber than normal foxes.

[@epauletshark3793]

The foxes have a pet?

[@majoroldladyakamom6948]

@@epauletshark3793 Yes... it's called dinner, lol.

[@AnonymousFreakYT]

Your fox is a rancher, raising its later meals, rather than just killing it quick. Very smart.

[@TraceDominguez]

your foxes have their own pet?! That's adorable. Can I be theirs too?

[@userjames2009]

Do they eat its eggs?

[@vincentx2850]

Cetaceans elephants and corvids are obvious picks, but we should get octopus, cuttlefish and those tool-using wrasses in the mix!

[@Ninjaananas]

And apes.

[@jorgepeterbarton]

@@Ninjaananas ooh. I can volunteer

[@yourfuckedgod1]

Racoons too!!

[@haze6647]

@@Ninjaananas ssssh....we dont want to approve the "apes rights". we will pretend that chimp, bonobo, and orang utan never exist, we will also cancel the apes movie next sequel.

[@genegray9895]

I'll put my vote down for jumping spiders! They're way smarter than seems possible for such a tiny animal

[@zerentheunskilled]

An episode on raccoons might be a good one. They always seem pretty smart since they seem to be able to get into anything and learn to adapt to nearly all situations.

[@TraceDominguez]

OOOOOH it's on the list !!

[@megamanx466]

I've watched them whilst stealing dry cat food from the local stray cats and seem to act like a North American Capuchin monkey, but bigger and more aggressive! 😅

[@sonorasgirl]

@@TraceDominguez yay!! Excited. I love/hate them and coyotes - they both break into our garbage 🤦🏽‍♀️. Even the “raccoon proof” cans

[@TrenchCoatDingo]

seen those little shits make ladders out of other raccoons to get to high places

[@megamanx466]

@@TrenchCoatDingo Yep. Clever critters! 😅

[@sapphiresupernova]

At a house where I used to live, there was a whole family of foxes in the backyard. They were very cute and liked to sun themselves on an old broken car in the bushes. Sometimes they would jump around on the top of the car and play. I think bears or otters are good subjects for videos like this. They're super smart animals and need more recognition for it!

[@patricialessard8651]

When I lived in northern NH, I had a female fox bring her pups through my yard where I had bird feeders and put other things out for the birds and squirrels. Sometime later, I noticed that the pups where coming alone. They started to hang around eating everything I put out. I decided to put some dry dig food out to see what would happen. They chowed it down and then would wait outside for me to leave it. Yup, they started to get really friendly and come right up to me while I put some out there. I also had cats and if theywere out there they would chase the foxes out of the yard! The foxes would wait across the street until I put the cats in. Eventually, they spent more and more time in The woods until they never came back. That's what I hoped they would do. Strange but cute little pups.

[@helenl3193]

Our local foxes know the cats are boss. Some of them are more scared of one of my cats than of me!

[@LambentLark]

I grew up in a remote area of Alaska. I use to do caretaker work at remote lodges in the winter. I spent one winter at a place with these long bay windows. There was a trail 2' away and I chose it as a place to sleep. I would sit there when the moon was strong and watch all the neighbors as they passed by the window. Fox, lynx, martin occasionally a wolf or wolverine. If there is a well traveled path in their territory animal will use it and they loved my snow mobil trails. 0ne night a weasel of some kind ran by the window. Frankly, little dude was making haste, I barely saw him. I got a great look at the cross fox that was trotting along a few seconds later. It's nose on the trail at high alert. Then it just stopped pulled its head up and looked right at me. It twisted its head left and right. Sniffed the air and studied me for a bit. A few minutes passed the foxes nose came up in the air and it took off with the same kind of body language the that little weasel had a few minutes before. Poof gone! Moments later a wolverine came trotting down the path nose to the ground, then up in the air, then down again sweeping always moving. It looked straight at me. A totally different look. No curiosity in those bead like eyes. Just cold assessment. It dismissed me and trotted off. I was hyper aware of my surroundings when i was outside after that night.

[@rgbii2]

I occasionally have foxes at my place. One year a family brought their four pups to my place for a while. It was interesting watching them, mostly through trail cameras. Anytime I happened to get close to them in person, one of the parents would move towards me, then head off in the opposite direction of the rest of the family. It seems it got close enough to me to make sure I saw it, then took off, but not too fast, it wanted me to follow it away from the rest.

[@George89999]

I've seen adult foxes doing that in video before too. They even made an Alarm Bark to warn the others and make sure the cameraman saw them before trying to lead the person away. Foxes are said to have strong parental instincts.

[@lancaster1550]

A fox once approached where I was sitting quietly in a garden. It was going to go right over me, so I softly cleared my throat, and it dashed away.

[@lolaby2]

That happened to me with a 👶🦨

[@wolflahti412]

At 1:40, the white fox: "You guys distract him-I'll get his wallet."

[@patrickhenry8711]

Another animal to take a look at: llama or alpaca. When tied up for a market day in Bolivia, the cargo was taken from the llamas and they were tied together to a post. They wove their long necks around each others and would communicate with a cat-like mew sound. I was fascinated by the communal nature of the species.

[@TraceDominguez]

Ooooh really?! I didn't NOT have them on the list, until … NOW

[@nickirmen6671]

One time we went to an alpaca farm as kids and one immediately fell in love with my younger brother. She immediately smelled him and licked his face and bowl cut hair all over, and if anyone else got close to them she'd shield him with her neck and spit. Or maybe she was just holding him hostage.

[@majoroldladyakamom6948]

Said it before, and I'll say it again... Domesticated Fancy Rats. Wild versus domesticated ferrets would also be awesome. We had some of both (and everything but Giraffs and Elephants, lol) growing up. Ferrets, Exotic birds (cockatiels, African Grey, Sunset McCaws), hamsters, gerbils, Ball Pythons, rabbits, pet raccoons and squirrels, possums, pure-bred dogs, a few rescue mutts, horses and cattle, hedgehogs, fish tanks, guinnea pigs, finches, and a pet catfish. Dad caught some, to cook. We kids found out. Saved/rescued one, put him in a big bucket and fed him every day. One day, the big bucket froze over. Mom made us break the ice and feed him. We thought that his "lake" wasn't big enough. He spent the rest of his days in the bottom of dad's boat, on a trailor in the back yard. Plugged the bottom of the boat, filled it with water, some food, including dried dog food kernals, worms and corn, and it rained a lot. 5 kids all under 5th grade, including a newborn... poor mom and dad. Circa early 1970s.

[@TraceDominguez]

Rats are coming 🤫 don't tell anyone I told you!

[@anne-droid7739]

The early 70s was a great time to be a kid! Lots of freedom, lots of wild spaces, and only one screen. =D

[@prixe12]

@@anne-droid7739 Ok boomer

[@pat999x]

I have only seen a fox in a zoo, and on the screen. They are very cute, and I love that they seem, at least, to be pretty smart. I hope that there is always room for foxes in our world

[@sebastienh1100]

Unfortunately here in Europe they are still hunted a lot

[@jorgepeterbarton]

I had hand fed them on my way home drunk in the city

[@George89999]

Fortunately they are very adaptable animals and most species of foxes are considered safe from extinction at this time. Especially the species Vulpes Vulpes more commonly known as the Red Fox (such as in this video), in some places of England foxes have adapted to survival in the city where they're referred to as "Urban Foxes". The Red Fox is so adaptable that in some counties where they're not native, such as Australia, they're considered an invasive species. Their are some foxes at risk though such as the Arctic Fox (due to Anthropogenic Climate Change) and the Swift Fox. It depends on the species of fox.

[@haze6647]

Cats and dogs : "We object!"

[@qwerty_and_azerty]

What I learned: “we need more research”

[@TraceDominguez]

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS

[@haze6647]

"We are currently unable to do it" "We need to see the situation" "We need to wait" "Not yet" "Maybe" Thats a common closing statement on every science related video, just bear with it, sigh...i didnt expect that science can be so cliche, i thought it is only apply to a fiction, wait, sci-fi...

[@giriprasad553]

"dog hardware running a cat software", that is the best thing i have ever heard in my life

[@CritterKeeper01]

I once met a fox named Cardboard. His owner said it was because of all the people who'd ask, "Is that a *real* fox?"

[@pluspiping]

It seems like the kind of person to own a fox... would also have that kind of sharp sense of humor. That's perfect.

[@jesseestrada8914]

I would love to learn about social insects like bees or ants. They seem to be completely without "IQ" but have shockingly complex social structures.

[@LimeyLassen]

I'd bet there's a world of difference between them. Ants rely on pheremones, but bees communicate with each other using a sign language.

[@jorgepeterbarton]

I wonder if you could have an IQ of individuals vs. the collective and note the difference, it would be a very interesting study in social emergence, maybe could do this with humans too

[@BertGrink]

Yeah, definitely a case of "The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts"

[@skyhop]

I've seen bees do some pretty incredibly smart stuff individually. There's absolutely a thought process going on in their head.

[@robharwood3538]

@@LimeyLassen Although bees' visual communication is more widely known about, it turns out that some ants use visual and *tactile* (touching each other with their antennae) communication as well as pheromones. I believe the species in question when I first heard about this (just a few weeks ago) was the Carpenter Ant, but it might also occur in other species as well.

[@brinselyseven5530]

Foxes are the best!!! The pounce is what got me hooked. They pounce like silly, little dorks, I love it. They are gorgeous like cats and dogs. They are smart. They are elusive which is what I love about cats. I’m not a snuggler, so this trait suits me just fine. Thanks for showcasing them!

[@sednavaporeon7226]

I most certainly agree! Ever hear of the fennec fox aka Vulpes Zerda? Those big ears are something to adore! Plus of course their endurance to the harsh Sahara desert and Arabian peninsula where they live! Their ears are used as ventilation of sorts and their blond color keeps them blended in with the desert keeping predators away! Amazing little animals and there is a reason the fennekin, a fire type starter pokemon of generation 6 is inspired by them. Just like the fennec fox, their ears are also used for venting and i think pokemon made them a fire type due to the purpose of the ears of Vulpes Zerda.

[@robharwood3538]

Watching Arctic foxes pouncing up high and diving headfirst into a deep snow bank is one of the coolest and cutest things I've ever seen. The fact that they can actually accurately locate their prey via their amazing hearing, under such a thick and opaque barrier is just incredible. When the end result is a big fluffy tail and a pair of dangling hind legs poking out of the snow where they 'crashed', I can't help but chuckle!

[@Amy-qc2qq]

There used to be a friendly fox who lived near me - I often saw him in my garden and he was well known in the city for being so friendly. I think he was definitely intellegent because he knew how to take advantage of humans for food 😅 his family are still around but none are as friendly as him.

[@galerius07]

Do one on alligators or some other reptile. Mammals and birds always get all the attention in animal cognition and I want to know what reptiles are capable of.

[@Poohze01]

Yes! Monitor lizards are said to be very smart, especially komodo dragons.

[@ranjira7893]

@@Poohze01 I saw a video of an Iguana Acting much like a dog does by running up to his human and acting excited when the guy came home... also anyone who has ever had a Beardie (Bearded Dragon) knows those lizards are smart lol

[@lel7841]

Monitor lizards scare the crap of me. They're decently intelligent but don't seem to have any social cues like mammals do. They may have some that mammals don't but I don't know how we'd figure those out

[@brandonhoffman4712]

Caymans and anacondas

[@rockthered8706]

I had a run in with a fox while camping and high on shrooms once lol for a good 30min it was watching me, slowly coming closer as its fear lessened. It got no closer than about 5meters but when it got to its closest point it laid down and faced directly at me.

[@robharwood3538]

It was like, 'Whatever you're on, can I have some???' 😂

[@Philosina]

Nice episode! I would love to see the assessment of horses. Honestly, I was always wondering what capabilities they actually have. They may not be the best in problem solving, but depending on the individual, they can pick up on things very quickly! But the most special part about them, is their ability to “read you”

[@miri64]

Berlin, Germany here. I see wild foxes nearly every day (but I live close to Tiergarten, the largest park in the city). The way they adopted to city live only speaks to their intelligence.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Wow, these domesticated foxes are soooo cute! Also, the captions are much improved :) thank you! The only thing I spotted was “(we) knew foxes” was transcribed as “new foxes” in the middle. That would probably cause confusion. Also I would suggest keeping the timing more in line with the speech, for caption users who still have (some) hearing. But the accuracy was way, way up, just like you said, so again thanks for that!

[@TraceDominguez]

Thanks for keeping our feet to the fire Kaitlyn!

[@robharwood3538]

Thanks for providing such great feedback, Kaitlyn! Even though I have hearing, I still often use captions for various reasons, and it's always quite noticeable when a channel puts in a little extra effort to improve the quality of the captions! Feedback like yours is invaluable!

[@WilhelmDrake]

Finally, discussion of the work of D. Belyaev is becoming more common.

[@isbestlizard]

3:49 that one happy focks n.n

[@sumans7620]

Amazing Video! I was asked to tell you (politely) that PBS Spacetime sent me. I never knew that foxes could be domesticated and already had been! Also, THERE’RE SO CUTE AHHHH

[@jflopezfernandez]

Ayyy took me a while to find the squad but here we go

[@xstarwolfx]

You didn't give Credit to Save a Fox? I recognize you had footage of Jeager and Sophie.

[@vctor611]

I would love to see an episode on the intelligence of common pet fishes.

[@blacktimhoward4322]

PBS ST brought me here! (Can't wait for dolphins and/or whales)

[@LordXaras]

Let's see some birds! Crows, ravens, parrots! Really interested in seeing how their Encephalization Quotient compares to the rest of their rubric.

[@kayeplaguedoc9054]

Foxes are my favorite! And I have met a few. I've worked with both fennecs and reds. They're not an animal you'd really want for a pet, but they can still be very lovable.

[@wild_lee_coyote]

Foxes: dog hardware, cat software, with squirrel programing

[@NameUserOf]

And sound like dolphins.

[@_judge_me_not]

Can you pls make a video about pigeons and doves I have a spotted dove that knows it's name and can identify itself in the mirror She is also pretty faithful and loyal

[@robinn57]

I think you should maybe do pigeons next. There's many different breeding species, a long history with humans, and many interesting physical facts that you could go over.

[@hakunakahuna]

Several years ago my dog started barking while sitting with me in the living room, late at night. I opened the front door and saw a fox trotting down the street, nonchalantly.

[@JAGzilla-ur3lh]

I have at least one red fox in my neighborhood in north Georgia (USA), which I catch glimpses of from time to time while I'm walking my dogs. Usually it'll be crossing the street in front of us, then bolts once it notices us. It doesn't seem super aware of its surroundings since we've clearly startled it more than once, but no doubt it sees me a lot more often than I see it.

[@TraderTimmy]

Foxes are incredible animals. You see them in New England a lot. More so these days. And we shouldn’t blame for getting into our chicken enclosures. I mean, sorry if a little fox out smarted you mister farmer.

[@Sparky_007]

How about the intelligence of the Asian Small-Clawed River Otter? They're definitely problem solvers. Maybe not far off from using tools. Oh, and Space-Time sent me.

[@NyoomMonster]

I want a domesticated fox. I know they won't be just like dogs or cats, but i love having intelligent animals who like to solve problems, and I enjoy training them and entertaining them. Maybe I could explore their potential as Service Animals? I have a Service Dog that I have trained by myself.

[@15sweatequity]

I first met a fox when I was 7 yrs old walking home in the afternoon. There was snow, a small amount, on the ground, the fox was small, not full grown. The fox stood very still and watched me as I very slowly walked around him/her and wen home. We lived in the country, in a very small area with 40 houses; nothing else. That was 50 yrs ago, 1964. My next encounter with a fox, was a couple yrs ago, 2019. I was inside my condo, looked up, through a deck door saw a fox looking in the window (male, full grown), then he walked to the floor length window next to the deck door, looked in, completed a circuit of the deck, looked out each side of the deck railing & walked down the stairs of the deck. We live on a man made lake. In 2020, I saw the male fox walking across some newly formed ice near the shore of our man made lake, walk across the lake and leave the condo area. The last encounter with a fox was last month, I saw a female full grown fox, running from down by the lake, across a sidewalk in front of me, then keep running across a road, and through the backyard of two houses. Other people in our condo around the man made lake have seen the foxes, both male and female as well.

[@lukeonuke]

I remember my grandfather telling me that once a fox pushed a box to climb inside the chicken pen

[@christafarion9]

Foxes act like foxes, not cats. Have you ever seen a cat running around laughing in hysterics?

[@zarvoc]

I chased a fox up a hill once because it kept showing up at my chicken coop and I wanted him to know the chickens were spoken for. I chased him halfway up the hill, shouting and throwing things and he kept turning around to look at me with this look like he was thinking “are you serious?” He never did come back though! My chickens remained perfectly safe.

[@orihsenak]

I love foxes. Ever since I saw Disney's Robin Hood, I've loved foxes. Do you have parrots or corvids in your plan for other episodes?

[@vladyvhv9579]

I'd suggest a look at coyotes. Having grown up on a farm, I've seen them do some stuff that many people wouldn't expect. One kept pace with the tractor while I was bushhogging milo stalks, and occasionally looking over to see if I would scare up a rabbit, snake, or field mouse. It seems that many of them have learned that the farm machinery means a potential meal.

[@andrewdmeyers]

My grandfather whom was an American marksman in France and Germany during the Second World War once told me that he would see foxes here and there. He always said that they must have been one of nature’s favorite animals because of how adorable, smart and funny they were. There was a story he told about being led to an injured woman, an injured man and their two children by a little red fox whose eyes read purpose. The fox in my grandfather’s eyes was a messenger from the Christian God and I can’t help but relate that to the Japanese Inari (Sacred Kami of Foxes/Fertility) My grandfather was a wise person and always wanted to know more about the world so that he could pass that knowledge on. He lived in a time when some aspects of life were not totally understood or were misjudged. But I think that foxes must be something very special indeed if there is so much that they can surprise us with even today.

[@seanyboyc86]

Haven’t seen Trace Dominguez in aaaaages! Maybe my head was in the sand but Im glad lad to see him again presenting. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@B00s3]

Wouldn't mind an episode on Coyotes, keep a Canis/Caninae theme going. I grew up in Arizona, I remember always seeing Coyotes at night running on the sidewalks alongside the roads. Wow, I completely forgot that there are domesticated foxes. This video makes me want one! I never will, but the idea of a Dog that kinda acts like a Cat, does entice me. I have Dogs and Cats living together why not add a Fox. Now I need a domesticated Dog-Cat.... right? Or is that backwards...

[@adolfwasrite7009]

Physical traits are indicative of psychological traits. How fascinating.

[@stefansneden1957]

Crows or ravens or both

[@bayleaf666]

I love training my cats. One is super food motivated, the other preferres praise. I'd like to see a video on cats!!! I think it would surprise most people

[@a_blind_sniper]

I know this is unrelated, but Trace, your room looks really nice! I love the diffuse warm lighting in the bookcase. Well done, that takes time and care for it to look that good

[@htopherollem649]

keep in mind that intelligence can also depend on the individual. in my experience, I've dealt with some incredibly intelligent cats, dogs,rodents, birds, etc.. while others are dumb as posts!

[@UpSky2]

It is not so much (as I have understood it from observing wild foxes) that they think like cats, but rather, that a fox is a smaller predator, and thus shares that much with the domestic cat or similar smaller felids.

[@gmilla49304]

We used to see foxes every night on the flightline. Watching them hunt was beautiful. Their poor ears though, I wish they had hearing protection.

[@G60syncro]

2 fox vs dog stories: My parents had this neighbor that used one of those electric collars with a buried cable to keep her dog from roaming off the property. This one fox in the nearby forest had basically mapped out the whole property line and would casually walk by just outside the perimeter, pretty much giving the dog the middle finger just to mess with it!! A friend of mine has this very playful labrador who would run off in the fields to play. It would always come back home with bruises and scratches and my friend wondered what was up... One day he was cleaning up the horse's shelter in the field and figured out what was going on... The dog ran out of the woods with the fox running after it, turned right back around and started chasing the fox back in the woods! They were basically playing "extreme tag" the whole time!!

[@cuddleslikespie]

Here from deep look!

[@TraceDominguez]

Hello back from Animal IQ!!

[@adolfwasrite7009]

@@TraceDominguez Physical animal traits are indicative of psychological traits. How fascinating.

[@TraceDominguez]

@@adolfwasrite7009 with these foxes the genetic changes due to their domestication also paired with physical changes, yes! Fascinating, right? They’re not always tied together though.

[@adolfwasrite7009]

@@TraceDominguez Often times physical and psychological characteristics are closely linked in numerous categories. It's an interesting science. Occurs the same way in great apes.

[@haze6647]

Sometimes i forgot that they are still pbs that sometimes they are sharing their other content.

[@parkershaw3753]

I'd love to see an episode on bettas/other aquarium fish. Until I got mine, I had no idea how good their memory retention was! In general, my hope is that this show doesn't only talk about mammals and birds. Those are more studied, but we need to make sure we're aware of what we do and don't know about other animals, too.

[@WorldOfTinite]

These videos do such a great job at getting people interested in animals and research!

[@andrewscoppetta4944]

Do an animal iq on the octopus 🐙! Foxes are super cute though, and so smart. Great video! Keep ‘em coming!

[@pavelperina7629]

I'm most interested in common animals just like a fox - common ones: badger, marten, deers, bears... Sadly all documentaries seem to be about exotic animals such as crocodiles, elephants, lions

[@erinmcdonald7781]

Adorable foxes and my ADHD goes, "Ah, a poster with Whorf!" So, Trace what is that poster, and where can I get one?? ✌️😸

[@SA77888]

1:41 After watching many fox videos, I noticed that too, that tame foxes seemed to understand their owners in a similar way to dogs, that cats usually dont seem to be able to understand. They really do seem very dog AND cat like.

[@gotobassmsn]

I would like to see you do a series on birds of prey, eagles, hawks, perigrine falcons, and osprey.

[@gildedbear5355]

I have been interested in domestic foxes since I first learned about them (I also think we should domesticate otters, but that's another topic 8). Unfortunately, it looks like my chosen State of residence doesn't allow them as pets 8(

[@webbess1]

I've seen the odd fox where I live. I've never properly met one. They're quite shy in my experience.

[@darthchait]

That no signal shirt is hilarious

[@Caroline_]

Dolphins, octopus, dogs, parakeet, butterflies, turtles, fish, horses, pigeon, cats, zebras, so many!!!

[@alisgray]

Corvids, for sure need an episode or three;

[@pker51]

How am I just now finding out about this channel? Nice to see you again Trace

[@terrawyrm]

Foxes are super cute! I saw one in my back yard once, and it made my whole week!

[@DarDarBinks1986]

I'd love to adopt a domesticated fox. We have plenty of wild foxes where I live but I've never seen any domesticated ones firsthand.

[@listofromantics]

I love his "No Signal" shirt.

[@MDommell]

I spy Sophie and Pan from @SaveAFox at 3:33! i love the work both them and JAB do

[@Poohze01]

I'm in Australia, the land of parrots, and they are very smart birds in general. The smartest species here is probably the Sulphur-crested cockatoo, but African Greys are renowned for braininess, and I think New Zealand Keas would take over the world if they could find a way to operate machinery.

[@vincentgirgenti6033]

Perhaps you could try an episode on alligator intelligence. Just a thought. Excellent work!

[@AZOffRoadster]

My dad used to hunt fox. They're really super-hard to 'outfox'. Makes deer hunting look like going to McDonalds.

[@IndolentIndie]

Loved the patago..sorry the no signal tee😁

[@pratherat]

3:20 I'm lmao right now cuz I'm watching this sitting in front of the same Pottery Barn desk!

[@Bladavia]

I understand the challenges of filming during covid but PLEASE send Natalia a good microphone and maybe use a de-esser when you just don't have the choice to use webcam sound ? 🙏 The reverb and sound quality made it pretty unpleasant to watch at times, and your vids deserve better ! The content itself was great as always

[@johncrow5072]

'What does the fox say?' joke was used so much I now want to go look that song up.....it's been long enough.

[@RaulNigli]

Here from 2 cents. Interesting video, thanks!

[@Erthshade]

Since you brought it up, might be good to look at coyotes. A lot of 'knowledge' out there gives them an unsavory reputation, but they're quite intelligent, loving, family-based animals.

[@chaerodactyl]

foxes: dog hardware, cat software me, a transfemme: ah yes I can relate

[@SolaceEasy]

I've seen Gray Fox, Kit Fox, and some kind of fox in Tibet.

[@arghan234]

Really a great video. Pretty information dense, lively, nice footage.

[@cooperbeggs]

These guys over here with a literal animal stand stat chart. Damn.

[@tagAught]

I assume that this was focused only on red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). There are other foxes out there; a total of four Vulpes species and the "fake" foxes, including grey foxes. In fact, one week when I was a teenager visiting my aunt and uncle's country house in Brigus, NL, Canada, we ran in to a grey fox pup that had some kind of mange on its hind legs. Surprisingly, it wasn't terribly wary of us. Even more surprisingly, my uncle actually gave up a steak so we could feed it! So, what about grey foxes? Arctic foxes (which are a Vulpes species, I believe)? Fennec foxes? etc. I also vote for cephalopod episodes. Canny creatures that they are....

[@rovelfox7832]

I've had the oppertunity to volunteer at an animal sanctuary for five years that had multiple foxes (Red foxes, a kit fox, and even an arctic fox). I watched them for hours straight and found everything they did fascinating. It's quite difficult to get to know some of them as there's no assured way to get a fox to "talk" to you or even ackowledge you. They're very selective about who they will open up to, and if you're not on that list, you never will be. I could write a whole essay (maybe even a book) on my unofficial observations from talking with people from around the world about foxes and from my own experience studying foxes, but I think the simple KZbin comment version would be that where foxes truly excel in intelligence is in how flexible their learning is. They can be tossed into a totally unknown environment from any age and quickly aquire all the knowledge they need to thrive. The speed at which I've personally seen foxes solve problems is baffling, though I think a lot of it comes from their observant natures and understanding something just by watching.

[@TheyCallMeNewb]

This was a real find; this video, and channel. Trace is Dnews though. !

[@ylzanilsor5637]

Cute Kurama

[@Mrjrich37055]

I want one, they are just too cute

[@ElicBehexan]

I've seen a fox pretty close at a small 'rescue' zoo about 50+ years ago. I say 'zoo' because there were lots of different animals there, but 'rescue' because these animals were rescued from the middle of a small city (now large city but it was 50+ years ago) and were, for whatever reason, unable to be released again. They weren't red foxes, because those don't live in this area.

[@treele4461]

Kinda wish there had been some discussion around grey foxes as well.

[@MaskedNozza]

Blake sent me, and I'm glad I came! I was going to give me next DnD character a pet weasel, but I think I might go for a fox instead

[@Tempst]

Amazing content Trace; I loved it . Keep up the good job. It would be cool to get to know about some less popular animals that are intelligent in their own way.

[@Brandyalla]

"Breaking down foxes" and assessing their tameability or whatever is 100% not what those Russians were doing. They operated a fur farm and were selectively breeding the foxes for docility so they would be easier to harvest. The insights into domestication were an unexpected side affect.

[@RudolvonStroheim]

Yeah that is right. Cats are smart af and have grand problem solving skills.