The position of an individual animal in the complex social hierarchy of Red Foxes Vulpes vulpes is reinforced by vocalisations and sophisticated body-language and an adherence to this ‘code’ ensures that serious injury-inflicting fights are often avoided. Although it might be suspected that the dog foxes would always have the upper hand this is not always the case and some vixens are quite capable of putting dog foxes in their place! The older vixen in this film had shared her territory with another vixen during her first winter. However she is now two years older, rather less reticent and prone to handing out similar treatment to other foxes entering a territory that is at least partly shared by the second vixen seen in this film and also by a (larger but more docile) dog fox. The three seem to have co-existed peacefully for several months. They have often appeared together and any skirmishes have normally been settled quite rapidly and without any injury worse than a quick bite to the flank or tail. The older vixen has sometimes groomed the other two animals as shown elsewhere on this channel. Submission is indicated by turning the back towards the victor with head down and tail positioned to signal that the defeat has been accepted. This strategy usually brings an end to a one-sided fight. However during the winter the fights are likely to become more sustained and perhaps more violent as the females become receptive for just a few days (mating occurs in January). These encounters involve each of the protagonists standing up on its hind legs with the forelegs placed against the chest of their opponent and they are very noisy affairs! However this film was obtained during the late summer and at a time of the year when violent fights are a rarity. Red Foxes rarely if ever make any sounds unless they are in the company of other foxes and in these sequences the older vixen is by far the more vocal of the two. After the confrontation at the beginning of the film the younger vixen has assumed a non-aggressive and submissive posture which will protect her from a sustained further onslaught. Although the older vixen will sometimes mount the vixen (if this happened on this occasion this would have been before the photographer went out to film them) and then pin her on her back (as shown) this is purely an exercise in asserting dominance. The older vixen has become agitated and very vocal (she is often the only one of the three to make any noise) and she continues to scream sporadically as the two sit side by side in an uncomfortable truce, albeit with a safe zone between them. The facial expression and the position of the ears of foxes are both important signalling devices and even if apparently asleep the older vixen will frequently make a soft whining noise if either of the other two approaches – she can hear and smell them from a distance. The latter part of the film illustrates the older vixen in a calmer mood although she vocalises when she knows that the younger vixen is nearby - and occasionally chases her! It goes without saying that they are absolutely fascinating animals to watch. The younger vixen has now produced two litters of cubs (David's films may be seen of the surviving cubs from her second litter) and the older vixen (much to the photographer's surprise (and for the reasons outlined below) has produced an (as yet unseen) litter for the first time at the ripe old age of four! Note that the gender of the older vixen referred to in the original title of this film has needed to be altered (as indeed have the personal pronouns in the accompanying text)!