Sessions

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is one of the most widespread predators in the world. As an opportunistic, generalist animal, it finds suitable habitats in all environments, from subarctic regions to Australia. The aim of my research is to investigate simple methods that can be used to estimate the age of foxes killed during hunting based on trophy assessment, taking morphological characteristics into account. Each of these methods is suitable for estimating the age of the animal with reasonable accuracy, but the expected accuracy can only be achieved by using the methods in combination.

Among the methods that can be used for age estimation, I examined the sagittal crest and changes in the proportions of the skull. To verify the accuracy of these methods, I made histological sections of the teeth and counted the growth lines visible on the sections. Based on my experience from the experiment, the examination of the sagittal suture can be useful in determining the age of males up to the second year. Up to this point, changes in the sagittal crest can be observed. This method is less useful in females because the individual structure of the animals shows greater variations.

For the method based on skull measurements, I used easily measurable points and scaled the measurements obtained. The results obtained are approximately accurate, but are no more accurate than the sagittal crest examination due to individual variance. I believe that an experienced trophy judge can also take these anatomical formulas into account when estimating age, but it is not worth wasting time on calculations for a narrowly tailored assessment.