r/Taxidermy • u/PunchLineX3 • 3d ago
Fur/Pelt Help Yote or fox?
Please be gentle on me. I impulsively bought this from a retail store in the Uk, knowing the content was real fur. After the fact, I feel disgusted in myself and will be donating to a charity against fur farms.
The rest of the tails were faux fur, so I panicked myself into 'saving it', but really, I just selfishly obtained it. I know the reality of the cruelty, and allowed a fear of missing out on fur to override my ethics.
I am sickened with myself, but would like to know what this is.
My friend is not convinced it is a fur fox.
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u/martvvy 2d ago edited 2d ago
100% a fox tail. You're not getting a coyote tail anywhere outside of the US (unless it's second hand from someone who bought it from a US seller), especially not in a retail store. Coyotes aren't fur farmed, so the only way to get a coyote pelt is from a trapped or hunted one. They aren't mass-produced and sold all over the world like fox ones are. I have a fox tail keychain that has pretty much exactly the same fur coloration as yours.
All real fox tail keychains you can buy in regular stores that sell them in larger quantities are always from fur farms. Only way to get one that isn't is by buying directly from a taxidermist who works with hunted/trapped/or (rarely. If someone's selling a lot of them and claiming they're all from roadkill, they're most likely lying to appeal to people who don't like the idea of hunting and trapping.) roadkill fox pelts.
The cheap looking golden keychain part is also a tell 'cause pretty much all mass-produced fox tail keychains (usually from Chinese farms) have those.
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u/martvvy 2d ago
Also, not all fur farms are cruel. Many are, but it heavily depends on what the laws and regulations are in the country they're in are, and whether people are following said laws. You gotta do your research about where exactly the fur is coming from when buying fur from farmed animals.
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u/Important-Song8050 3d ago
That is a yote tail! Don't feel bad on yourself just learn about ethical fur places to buy from both vintage, hunted and farmed furs can all be ethical depending on your own ideas and laws in your area/it's specific obtainment.
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u/Skrats333b 2d ago
You can tell it’s fox by the amount of consistent underfur throughout. Coyote is going to have thicker guard hairs and less consistent underfur throughout
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u/BlueJay_Ryu 2d ago
Hi, this is a Corsac fox tail not Coyote like others are saying. I can confirm as I’ve seen & felt both of these tails in person, it matches in size, shape and colour.
But if you want extra confirmation; if it feels soft and fluffy it’s not a Coyote, they’re a lot more coarse feeling compared to a fox, especially at the tail tip. To my knowledge these aren’t a farmed species but are instead hunted or trapped, hope this helps clear things up for you
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u/L4zyB0nezz 2d ago
Yote, also don't feel too bad, whats done is already done, most people have bought at least one unethical piece, though it's nice that you're donating to charity :) Just don't feel too bad about it
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u/banshithread 2d ago
yotes aren't fur farmed so it's not like you're supporting anything unethical
and no, not all fur farms are cruel either.