Screams are just the headliner. Foxes also make a noise called gekkering, which sounds like a rusty chainsaw fighting a squeaky toy. You’ll hear this when two foxes are arguing over a half-eaten kebab or when a cub is being told off for being too cheeky.
And then there’s the bark. It’s a sharp, single “yap” that sounds surprisingly like a dog saying, “Look! A pizza box!” Foxes have over 20 different vocalizations, from snuffles to whines to growls. They are basically the jazz musicians of the animal world, and they are performing an unsolicited concert in your flowerbed every night.
Why Do Foxes Scream at Night? - Coexist Wildlife
One study even found that urban foxes have deeper voices than rural ones, probably from all that sophisticated city-living and asking for directions to the bins. Classy.
The Strange Case of the Silent Dog
Here’s a surprising fact to impress your friends: a fox’s bark is so different from a dog’s that it tricks your brain. Scientists believe the sound waves from a fox scream are on a frequency that makes them seem closer than they are. Evolution made them masters of psychological warfare without even trying.
But wait, there’s more! If you hear a fox screaming and a dog barking back, the dog is probably confused and scared, too. My neighbor’s labrador once hid under the sofa for an hour after a fox let loose. The fox didn’t even apologize. The audacity.
