Spinal arthritis (spondylosis deformans) in the red fox, Vulpes vulpes, with some methodology of relevance to zooarchaeology

The skeletons of 252 adult foxes killed in suburban London were used to study the development of spondylosis deformans, a condition of the spinal column previously unrecorded in the Red fox. Although the average age of the specimens was only one year nine months, 34·5% of the population were found to be affected with spondylosis. The distribution of osteophytes on the vertebral column is shown, and factors such as age and trauma, which affect the development of the condition, are examined. The significance of such well-developed pathological conditions in a wild mammalian population is discussed.