What Size Was the Old British Mountain Fox and How Rugged Was It?

 

Above: An adult coyote taxidermy placed in front of what John Colquhoun called a "good specimen Mountain fox" -note that the coyote is actually raised up so that it could be compared next to the fox which is much bigger. (c)2025 Extinct Fox and Wild Cats Museum

Re the Old foxes. We know that they were greater in size than a red fox. We know they had longer legs and if a red fox can jumped onto a 6ft (1.8288) high fence/wall then a Mountain fox would have no problem.

Studying anatomy you need at least 2-3 good examples of Old foxes to compare them and I believe that we have the have the Colquhoun mountain fox and two others (sex undetermined as taxidermy makes it difficult and these are scientifically important so nothing that could be destructive to the taxidermy is undertaken). Comparing the three (at least) in the collection would show their size and an expert can do the math from that. Hunt chases of these foxes recorded them being chased until killed or lost sight of for one or more hours over rugged terrain and from, 2-20+ miles. The Mountain fox was also big enough to try to fight off the hounds which was what hunters looked forward to -"in at the kill".

The heaviest fox we have had for the first necropsy study of British foxes was 8kgs. We know that the Colquhoun fox was larger than the coyote and an adult coyote can weigh 11-15kg (25-35 lbs dependent on sex etc). or: "Coyotes are significantly smaller than wolves. Their bodies are typically up to 1.3 metres (4.26 feet) long, standing approximately 60 centimetres (2 feet) tall. A coyote can weigh 9 to 23 kilograms (20-50 pounds), but it depends on where they're found and the abundance of available prey"

It is safe to say that the Mountain fox would be tough and rugged but stories from hunters about their abilities need to be taken with a bag of salt. We know that various authors claimed cubs were "corn in the stubble" or above ground but evidence seems to show that any safe location within a territory would have been used.

Hill foxes obviously chose crevices, caves and anywhere that was safe and sheltered. There are even photographs of coastal foxes amongst cliffs.

When hunters realised that the Old foxes were becoming extinct -and they knew and wrote about this from the 18th century on- the importations began. We know for a fact that an Old type fox was imported from Norway as there are contemporary news and articles about this. The Norwegian Mountain fox was praised for being possibly even larger and stronger than the Old British fox. Hunting in the UK did not just killed off the Old British foxes seems to have (through trapping and importing from Norway) killed off the last of the Old Western European fox.

When importing from Europe was insufficient the hunt members did what was the thing back in the 19th century; attempted cross-breeding of wolves/jackals/coyotes and so on (everything from game birds, fish etc had some hunt/naturalist working to create the perfect hybrid to hunt, kill and then display). Since the old colonial hunts and "holiday hunts" to Europe and the United States gave the hunting fraternity the "taste" for hunting large wild canids -in the 1800s the then Duke of Beaufort loved wolf hunting in France and was even a guest at a Welsh Hunts anniversary wolf hunt in North Wales.

The taxidermies of wolf, jackal and coyote masks (heads) are now recorded in photo archives.

All of this to replace what was the key wild canid which was not a rampaging carnivore but seemingly an omnivore like other wild canids. Extinction likely came in the 1860s at around the time other native species such as wild cats, squirrels, etc. Naturalists main interest was finding out things that helped hunt species.

Much of what we know can often be slanted in favour of "a reason to hunt" (one was never needed) but it is interesting that the age old myth of sheep killing foxes was laughed at by over 95% of hunters (who were also country squires, farmers etc) and that a reward from the 1800s offered to anyone who could prove foxes killed and carried off sheep was never claimed.

It has taken almost 50 years to throw aside the false 'history of British foxes' which has become accepted dogma and get to the true history of British foxes that was simply thrown aside after the 1890s for reasons long since forgotten.

The only thing we have failed to achieve is have the taxidermies of Old foxes and wild cats DNA tested as that could answer many questions but, sadly, we certainly cannot afford such work and no university or lab in the UK has shown the slightest interest. DNA testing would be the ultimate piece of evidence.