So the Fox is magically aligned to true North? Or is it magnetic North? Why can he aim with a North bearing and not a south bearing? Does the fox need math classes to calculate degrees off of North? ......why do scientists always think it is the hardest theory to prove, when the simplest explanation makes more sense.
Predators are vision oriented. They have amazing senses, hearing a mouse under 18 inches of snow, smelling a meal or danger from hundreds of yards, and binocular vision. Combined that is a formidable opponent. Take away any of the three....not so hard to fool anymore. If I were trying to catch something I could only hear, I would focus intently on the sound and pick a spot in the snow to jump on. I see the Fox in this video doing just that. His binocular vision allows him to determine how far away the mouse is by concentrating on the sound. When you hear a fire truck siren behind you do you look to your left to see where it is, or do you turn around and look directly at it to see how far away it is and what direction it is moving? Can you tell if it is 10 blocks away or 12 without looking? Ears tell us what direction to look, eyes tell us how far. Same for a Fox. Take away his vision and he can not aim.
many attempts are made in the shade of the foothills, yet he is still only 75% when facing north, glare present or absent.
have you ever tried to catch a mouse under 18 inches of snow? Even the scientist said he misses 25 percent when facing North. When facing south he is 75% more likely to have glare from the sun. Simplest explanation is usually the truth.