Foxes and humans may have lived side by side 40,000 years ago, study suggests

'The more humans populated a particular region, the more the foxes adapted to them', researchers say

Urban foxes' snouts have adapted to foraging in the city streets (Getty)

Foxes have become a typical sight in towns and cities across the UK as they hunt for scraps left by humans - but scientists believe the phenomenon may not be a new one.

Instead researchers assessing the diets of ancient forbears of the animal have suggested mankind could have been influencing their diets as far back as 40,000 years ago.

In the wild, the small carnivores regularly feed on scraps left behind by larger predators such as bears and wolves - but they will happily feed off what is left over by the planet’s most successful carnivores, humankind.