Golden eagles are one of the most widely distributed raptors in the northern hemisphere and one of the most ferocious. Although their average weight is only about 4.5 kilograms, they have the ability to hunt large herbivores such as goats.

Because the golden eagle has keen vision and extreme Due to its fast speed and strong hunting ability, the golden eagle's diet includes animals covering a wide area from the sky to the ground. As early as the 1970s, foreign ornithologists studied the composition of golden eagle nests by searching for the remains of their nests. The researchers searched for a total of 162 golden eagle nests for five years (1975-1979). From the eagle nest, it was discovered through hair, bones and other residues that the golden eagle's food includes more than 65 different animals from 9 orders.

The largest proportion is birds under the order Galliformes, accounting for 54%. Among the order Galliformes, the golden eagle’s favorite is grouse, followed by lagomorphs, and the most common is Hare, ranked third are artiodactyls, such as some relatively small blue sheep, goats, etc., while Carnivora only accounts for 3%.

Among the carnivores, the most hunted by golden eagles are foxes, accounting for 1.7%, and the other 1.3% are composed of various animals such as pine martens, mink, stoats, and otters, that is, It is said that the golden eagle’s favorite predator is the fox.

So, what is the grudge that makes the golden eagle attack the fox frequently? In the fight between the two, how did the golden eagle kill the fox? Faced with the hunting of golden eagles, what skills does the fox have to save its life? Today we will answer these questions one by one.

Judging from the food proportion of golden eagles, carnivores account for only 3%, which means that for golden eagles, carnivores can be killed or not. However, in golden eagles, carnivores can be killed or not. It may seem odd that foxes account for more of the carnivores hunted than all other animals combined.

However, after understanding the relationship between golden eagles and foxes, this problem is easily solved. Let’s talk about it from four aspects: Why do golden eagles have a special liking for foxes (under the heading of carnivory)?

The fox we are talking about here is the most common red fox. The reason why red foxes have become the most hunted by golden eagles One of the main reasons for carnivores is the coincidence of distribution. First of all, the distribution of golden eagles covers almost the entire northern hemisphere, and they have a population of 10,000-20,000 individuals. Secondly, red foxes are the most widely distributed foxes and are also the most widely distributed. Carnivores, they are also widely distributed in the northern hemisphere, including North America, Europe, Asia, and even North Africa.

Therefore, foxes are the animals with the largest distribution overlap with golden eagles among carnivores. This is one of the reasons why foxes account for the largest proportion of the golden eagle's carnivore diet.

The fox is a land animal, and the golden eagle is a flying raptor. Logically speaking, they should not compete, but in fact The competition between the two is relatively fierce. This is because the diet of the fox overlaps greatly with that of the golden eagle. We mentioned above that the golden eagle's food accounts for the largest proportion of galliformes and lagomorphs, while the food of the fox It is precisely the animals of these two orders that account for the largest proportion, but in the food preferences of foxes, lagomorphs are ranked ahead of galliforms.

Because the distribution of the two overlaps, plus The prey overlap is large, so it is normal for them to conflict.

Although golden eagles are efficient birds of prey, they also have the habit of "storing food". This is because the golden eagles kill Prey is usually about the same weight as itself, and golden eagles eat less than half of their own body weight at one time, so they usually hang the leftover prey on trees or place it on high rocks.

This habit is noticed by the clever fox, so the fox will often secretly climb trees or rocks to steal the prey stored by the golden eagle when the golden eagle is out. Although in most cases, the golden eagle sees You can’t see this picture, but the remaining scent of the fox can still be accurately captured by the golden eagle. Therefore, the fox has become the most hated predator of the golden eagle, which is why the golden eagle likes to hunt foxes.

Although golden eagles can hunt some medium-sized animals, judging from the prey preferences of golden eagles, the animals they hunt usually weigh between 1-3 kilograms. After all, golden eagles do not eat much, and they hunt animals of this size. There is no pressure on myself. The limit of the prey that the golden eagle can kill is medium-sized goats, but after killing, the golden eagle cannot take it away. This makes the golden eagle hunting goats a small probability event, because the golden eagle has a general The habit of bringing prey to a safe place to eat.

The largest prey that the golden eagle can catch and fly is 1.5-2 times its own weight. The average weight of the golden eagle is about 4.5 kilograms, so it is the largest It can pick up 9 kilograms of prey and fly into the sky. The average weight of a fox (red fox) is between 6-7 kilograms, which is exactly in line with the weight range of prey that the golden eagle can pick up and fly. This is also a factor in its hunting of foxes.

To sum up, the reason why the fox has become the most hunted carnivore by the golden eagle is mainly because the distribution of the two overlaps, the prey overlap is large, the size of the fox is in line with the golden eagle's choice of prey, and the fox "seeks death" behaviorally.

Golden eagles have a natural advantage in hunting foxes, that is, "air versus ground". For raptors like golden eagles that can see moving objects on the ground at high altitudes, they want to find moving objects. The fox is relatively simple. Afterwards, the golden eagle will dive towards the fox. The speed of the golden eagle's dive can reach 300 kilometers per hour. At this speed, it is difficult for the fox to escape.

However, when approaching a fox, the golden eagle will slow down and then use its sharp claws to grab the fox's spine or head.

The golden eagle has long and sharp claws. The average length of its claws is about 5 cm, and the longest can be more than 8 cm. And the most important thing is that the golden eagle's muscular development can bring powerful grip. Grip strength, it is estimated that the instant grip strength of an adult golden eagle can reach 340 kilograms (750 pounds). With such a large grip strength, the golden eagle can instantly break the fox's spine and penetrate the fox's skull as long as it catches it. A fatal blow.

Faced with ferocious large raptors, foxes are not always passively beaten. When they encounter golden eagles and kill them, they usually have two ways to escape:

The first is to find a way to escape. For cover, golden eagles fly down from the air. They rely too much on relatively flat areas for hunting, so when they find a swooping golden eagle, the fox will hide in rocks, bushes or caves, so that the golden eagle There is nothing we can do.

The second toughest. When foxes encounter golden eagles, they don't just run away. When they have nowhere to escape, they will rise up to resist. There is a trick that has been tried and tested in resistance, which is to face the golden eagle head-on when it is about to get close to you, and then jump up with teeth and claws. , this move can avoid the golden eagle's most fatal blow.

Golden eagles do like to kill foxes, but this is only compared with other carnivores. In the entire diet, foxes are insignificant (1.7%). Of course, as a large raptor, golden eagles are empty. The ground itself has a great advantage, so in the conflict between the golden eagle and the fox, the golden eagle is often the winner. Even if it does not kill the opponent, there is no problem in flying away.