A fox in the grass

© Frederic Desmette/Minden Picture

A fantastic fox. What does the fox say?

That was the question posed by Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis when they released a viral music video in 2013 featuring a man dancing in a fox costume to an electronic track asking, "What does the fox say?" Most animals have a signature sound, like a dog's "woof" or cat's "meow", but there isn't a simple word to describe a fox's call. One of the UK's most iconic animals, foxes can make around 28 different calls or noises to communicate, but you're most likely to hear one of two distinctive sounds: the bark of a dog (name for a male fox) and the eerie shriek of a vixen (female fox), which is reminiscent of a human scream and becomes more common during mating season. And before you ask, "Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!" and "Wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow!" are not among the noises.