Foxes have been the baddies of children’s tales since the Ancient Greeks. This has made it easier to hunt and torment them – but how much of the myth is based in fact? What would the fox say if she told her own story?

Shapeshifter, swindler and devil’s minion: the red fox is in urgent need of good PR. For thousands of years, the fox has played the villain of folk tales and legends, from Aesop’s fables to Beatrix Potter.

How many animals have had their (alleged) misdeeds immortalised by both a noun (a crafty, cunning person) and a verb (to deceive, mislead and outwit)? “Weasel” and “rat” share this dubious distinction. Informally, the fox has leant its name to an adjective, too – foxy – used to describe an attractive woman, but not necessarily one to be trusted.
The Little Black Fish and other stories: Iranian illustrated children's books – in pictures
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The more I saw foxes in the streets where I lived, the more I questioned the popular myths that surrounded them: fox as child-snatcher, cat-muncher, vermin. Fox as scourge of the countryside.

The truth is, we’d got it wrong. Foxes are social animals that pair bond, often for life. Despite a rogues’ gallery of villainous vulpines, they’re usually the victims of a brutal human world.

Almost all of us have experienced loneliness at some point. It is the pain we have felt following a breakup, perhaps the loss of a loved one, or a move away from home. We are vulnerable to feeling lonely at any point in our lives.

Loneliness is commonly used to describe a negative emotional state experienced when there is a difference between the relationships one wishes to have and those one perceives one has.

The unpleasant feelings of loneliness are subjective; researchers have found loneliness is not about the amount of time one spends with other people or alone. It is related more to quality of relationships, rather than quantity. A lonely person feels that he or she is not understood by others, and may not think they hold meaningful relationships.

Researchers have found social isolation is a risk factor for disease and premature death. Findings from a recent review of multiple studies indicated that a lack of social connection poses a similar risk of early death to physical indicators such as obesity.

Loneliness is a risk factor for many physical health difficulties, from fragmented sleep and dementia to lower cardiovascular output.

Some individuals may also be biologically vulnerable to feeling lonely. Evidence from twin studies found that loneliness may be partly heritable.

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Imagine scuba diving in the quiet depths of the ocean and spotting an enormous shape emerging from the blue. This is what some divers faced when they approached a gigantic sunfish and began taking videos and photos while trying to contain their excitement for the rare size of the animal. This type of fish can weigh up to 5,000 pounds and grow to as much as 9 feet long, but luckily they don't eat humans.