Den-Site Behavior of Bengal Foxes (Vulpes bengalensis) Reveals Persistent Use, Social Interactions, and Coexistence...

The Bengal fox (Vulpes bengalensis) is a small, den-obligate, wild canid that faces growing pressures in non-protected landscapes. In Bangladesh, the species is considered vulnerable, receives minimal conservation attention, and knowledge of many components of its ecology is lacking. We present a fine-scale behavioral account of the Bengal fox at a den site, based on 12.18 h of video recorded during camera trapping from March 2024 to May 2024 in a peri-urban landscape of north-western Bangladesh. Our analyses indicated high site fidelity and consistent crepuscular den-site activity in Bengal foxes. Our estimated lorelograms indicated that foxes remained active at the den site for up to 2 h following an initial detection, confirming behavioral persistence around the den. Fox activity declined gradually with the progression of the survey period, coinciding with the breeding cycle. Behaviorally, foxes engaged in structured, non-random behavior, with routine bouts of foraging, feeding, grooming, and vigilance as well as complex affiliative social interactions. Foxes displayed persistent antagonistic interactions with Bengal monitors (Varanus bengalensis), but their avoidance of humans and feral dogs appeared temporal, not spatial. We noted insects, birds, and rodents in feeding activity, including foraging on termite swarms. These findings suggest that Bengal foxes persist in shared spaces and highlight the necessity of quantifying the potential risks of living with dominant predators in human-dominated landscapes. Although constrained by observations from a single natal den, we provide evidence to consider the species in the mainstream conservation dialog by integrating behavioral data from camera traps with fine-scale modeling. We further offer a replicable methodological framework for behavioral studies of denning carnivores-especially across the Global South, where data deficiency often hinders policy and action.