Z is for Zorro
‘Zorro’ is Spanish for fox, and is also the name of a South American dog-like canid that looks very like a fox, but which is not.
But so little is know about this elusive wild dog, I found I couldn’t write much about it – or write a poem.
It eats small mammals, has small ears, some webbing between toes from which it is inferred that they swim, and they hunt both by day and night.
I can tell you it is grey-brown – but there are very few pictures, mainly taken by a camera trap.
That’s it!
So my picture and poem is of a real fox (still called zorro in Spanish!).
This fabulous fox portrait is by Peter Trimming on Flikr:
The red fox is the most widespread of all foxes.
Its den is called an earth.
They have a thick, bushy tail from which their name derives – through Old English, from Proto-Germanic, from Proto-Indo-European.
They have whiskers on their legs as well as their faces to help them orientate themselves.
They are clever and bold, and have moved into towns and cities. They eat our scraps, scavenge in bins, and are doing so well that in some areas they are a very common sight.
My husband once had to stop his car in the middle of the road while a young fox woke up from a deep slumber in a pool of sunlight on the warm tarmac! It stretched and ambled away in no hurry at all…
Here is my fox poem – and this is the last entry and the last poem in this year’s A-Z!
.
Fox
.
The fox barks
like a dog,
.
brings its earth
into cities with its call,
.
its insolence
slinks in the open,
.
eating the scraps
that we provide.
.
It is an explorer,
a survivor, too –
.
it has a face that
points to the new.
.
Poem © Liz Brownlee
Photo © Peter Trimming
Information from Wildscreen Arkive (zorro) and Wiki (fox).
If you would like to blog-hop to the next A-Z Challenge blog, please click here.
If you’d like to read about or buy my book, Animal Magic, full of animal poems and fascinating facts, click here.
- Posted in: A-Z Blog Challenge 2015 ♦ Animals ♦ Poems ♦ Sustainability
- Tagged: animals, fox, nature, photography, poems, poetry, red fox, science, sustainability, wildlife, zorro, zorro fox
lizbrownlee - poet 
Oh this is a beautiful picture of a fox. I am glad the fox you met was not run over! There was a fox that found its way in a Go train car in Toronto and went to sleep on a seat-it was so cute
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Aww, I’d like to have seen that, Birgit! They are very good at dodging traffic, and the cars in Bristol can only go at 20mph, which is very slow. The roads are not like American roads in a city – just two cars wide.
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I didn’t know about that name for a fox. So I guess the hero, Zorro, of western fame is sly like a fox, and thence comes the name. I am wary of wildlife, being a city girl for most of my life.
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Wildlife is much more wary of you, so don’t worry! Yes, it made me see the character Zorro in the film in a new light!
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Clever Liz
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Thank you, Sue … er – why?
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Congratulations on another lovely A to Z. Learned so much. I never knew foxes had whiskers on their legs!
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Thank you, Celia! It’s interesting, isn’t it? I’m going to read up on that and find out exactly how it works.
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YAY!! You finished the challenge! Congratulations!!
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Thank you, Donna! Congratulations to you, too!
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We did it! I’ve really enjoyed your animal pictures and poems.
Anabel’s Travel Blog
Adventures of a retired librarian
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Thank you, Anabel!
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I learned something new today – Zorro means fox in Spanish. Thank you. Like the poem.
Congrats Liz – you made it!
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Thank you, and the same to you, Charlotte!
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Congratulations on finishing Liz!
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Thank you, Stuart!
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I like your poem, and that is a beautiful fox shot! And A to Z is finished. Yay!!
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Thank you, Elen!
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Whiskers on its legs! That is amazing.
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Great learning experience, I can’t wait to tell my kids. They love fun animal facts.
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Thank you, Melissa.
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Loved the lines–its insolence slinks in the open–and the ending where its face points to the new.. Did not realize there was a zorro distinct from the fox. shall investigate,
Thankyou Liz for sharing your animal knowledge and poems whiich I have so enjoyed throughout the challenge 🙂
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Thank you Anne!
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Oh wow! Another animal that barks like a dog is a pig, but I never knew it until my daughter got a pet pig. Whenever Penelope gets excited, she runs (sprints) across the room and the first thing out her snout is a very loud bark. No lie! lol
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Oh – I do love pigs, they are so intelligent! More so than dogs.
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Congrats on finishing A to Z! I’m stopping by some of my favorite blogs to see the final posts, so here I am. Keep up your lovely work, Liz. I loved the ending of this poem….
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Thank you! I have no idea why, but I didn’t receive this message till now.
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Congrats on finishing the challenge! Loved your poems!
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Thank you, Aimee!
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Real interesting read, thanks for sharing!
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Thank you!
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Hi Liz! First, thank you so much for dropping by my blog! Second, third and fourth, I absolutely love: a/ your a to z challenge theme and am looking forward to reading all the posts – and so will my son, who loves animals b/ your website – so pretty and cheerful! Just went over to check it out. c/ your book – looks great and am looking forward to reading it.
I am so glad you connected, i would have been sad to miss your blog! Much love, and looking forward to being in touch.
I’ve only seen foxes in zoos – and find them rather fascinating. That photo is stunning!
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Oh, thank you Vidya, I am very much looking forward to knowing you better. Please do keep in touch.
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Loved the ending of your poem, Liz. I haven’t seen a fox, but I can just imagine that one stretching out on the road! 🙂 Thanks for your helpful comments on my blog today. Looking forward to catching up on yours!
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Thank you, Sue! I would be very happy to see you!
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