Red fox in the Black Forest of Germany

© Klaus Echle/Minden Picture

A red fox stalks the Black Forest. Red fox

Even in the most flattering daylight, foxes somehow always seem up to no good. Not to mention when they're spotted slinking up a fallen tree in a dank, shadowy Black Forest in Germany. These cunning canids get away with a lot just by being cute, don't you think?

That mischievous twinkle in a fox's eye hasn't gone unnoticed by countless cultures around the world. Most fox myths venerate the critter as a trickster or even a shapeshifter who outfoxes larger, meaner foes like lions and bears. But the fox is said to sometimes hoodwink humans too…so keep your wits about you while wandering the wilderness.