| Red Fox | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Range | Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America and Asia. |
| Scientific Classification | |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Carnivora |
| Family | Canidae |
| Genus | Vulpes |
| Species | Vulpes vulpes |
| Conservation Status | |
 Least Concern | |
Description[]
Red foxes are the biggest of the fox species. Males are slightly bigger than females. Their fur color range is from pale yellowish red to a deep reddish brown for the upper parts and white or ashy on the underside. The legs are usually black on the lower parts and the tail often is tipped with black or white and has tail glands. Their eyes are yellow in adulthood. The nose is black or dark brown.
Distribution[]
Red foxes are distributed across the Northern Hemisphere but do not live in Iceland, some parts of Siberia, the Arctic islands, or in extreme deserts. They live in many different habitats around the world including forests, grasslands, deserts, and mountains, having the greatest geographic range of all members of the Carnivora family. They can adapt well to human habitats such as farms and suburban areas, even quite large communities. According to iNaturalist data, red fox sightings and likely highest population densities occur in and around major metropolitan areas such as northwest Italy near Turin, Luxembourg, metropolitan London in the UK, Melbourne, the Boston to Washington, D.C. Northeast megalopolis corridor in the U.S., metropolitan Toronto, and Denver.
Behavior[]
Red foxes live in family groups sharing a joint territory. Adults have a home range that varies in size according to the quality of the environment. In rich areas they may measure 5 to 12 square kilometers, being larger in poorer areas, from 20 to 50 square kilometers. Occupants of a range are an adult male and one or two females with their young. Families and individuals live in dens made of earth and often have emergency burrows within the home range. Often the same den is used over several generations. Red foxes may leave their families once they reach adulthood if the chances of winning a territory of their own are high. If not, they will stay with their parents. Red foxes prefer to hunt in the early morning hours before sunrise and late evening. Although they typically forage alone, they may aggregate in resource-rich environments. When hunting mouse-like prey, they first pinpoint their prey's location by sound, then leap, sailing high above their quarry, steering in mid-air with their tails, before landing on target up to 5 meters (16 ft) away. Red foxes have a wide vocal range, and produce different sounds. There are 12 different sounds produced by adults and 8 by kits. The majority of sounds can be divided into "contact" and "interaction" calls. Another call is a long, drawn-out, monosyllabic "waaaaah" sound commonly heard during the breeding season. When danger is detected, Red foxes emit a monosyllabic bark. Kits make warbling whimpers when nursing, these calls being especially loud when they are dissatisfied.
Diet[]
Red foxes are omnivores and scavengers and eat a highly varied diet. They feed mostly on small rodents such as voles, mice, hamsters, ground squirrels, gerbils, woodchucks, deer mice and pocket gophers. They also eat birds, rabbits, porcupines, hares, raccoons, opossums, insects, and small reptiles. Red foxes also consume carrion and d this typically only in the late evening hours and at night.
Reproduction[]
Mating is from January to March. The female builds one or more dens following mating. The spare dens can be used if the original one is disturbed. Gestation is about two months and then 1 to 10 kits are born. The male supplies the female with food while she looks after the kits. At about a month old the kits begin to play outside the den. The mother feeds them regurgitated food and later brings them live prey which they "play" with before eating, which helps develop skills for hunting. At about 7 months old the kits leave the mother.
Population[]
Threats[]
Globally, there appear to be no major threats to Red fox at present. Locally, these foxes may suffer from habitat degradation, loss, and fragmentation, and overhunting.
Number[]
Its worldwide population is difficult to estimate, due to its widespread distribution. According to IUCN, as of 1995, the total pre-breeding British fox population was approx. 240,000 individuals. The population in Germany was estimated at about 600,000 in 2000–2001. The ICUN classifies the red fox as "Least Concern", with a stable population trend.
Ecological niche[]
Red foxes help control the populations of their prey, such as rabbits and rodents. They may also disperse seeds due to eating fruit.
Populations across North America[]
Red fox populations are highest in the eastern half of North America. The state of Minnesota has a robust red fox population, estimated at 150,000 statewide. Their densities are greatest in agricultural and suburban areas around the Twin Cities region. Southern Ontario also supports large numbers of red fox at around 125,000. Optimal habitats there include open farmland, prairies, and woodland edges surrounding cities like Toronto. In the Appalachian region from Pennsylvania through West Virginia, red fox densities peak amid the mixed forests and fields, with an estimated red fox population over 200,000.
New England/mid-Atlantic[]
Red fox populations throughout the mid-Atlantic and New England remain sizable. In New York estimates place the red fox number at 100,000, favoring orchard country in the southeast and Adirondack foothills of the north. Southern New England has around 75,000 red foxes, commonly seen in rural areas from Massachusetts to Connecticut.
Southern United States[]
Moving southward, the red fox is still prevalent but in lower densities. Around major cities like Washington D.C. and Richmond, Virginia the population is approximately 50,000 strong near the urban-forest border. In the Appalachians of northern Georgia and Alabama their numbers dwindle to 20,000.
Western United States[]
Out west the red fox becomes scarcer, though pockets of 10,000 animals persist locally. Near Spokane, Washington and along the Columbia River their densities are highest in agricultural zones interfacing with shrub-steppe environments. Scattered populations totaling 3,000 red fox inhabit portions of central and northern California as well.
Domestication[]
Red foxes usually do not make good pets. Well-meaning people adopt supposedly abandoned kits during the spring period. Actual orphans are rare; those adopted have probably strayed from the site of their den. Generally friendly toward people when very young, captive Red foxes develop a fear of humans, except for their handlers, from 10 weeks of age.
Fun Facts[]
With excellent senses of hearing and smell, these foxes can hear the squeak of a mouse more than 100 feet away. They will often dig in dirt or snow to pursue prey.
The Red fox will keep hunting when it is not hungry. It stores the spare food under leaves, dirt, or snow, to eat later.
A Red fox's tail measures about a third of its length. In cold weather, it serves as a warm cover. It is also a signal flag in communicating with other foxes.
The male is called a dog, and the female a vixen. A young fox is a "kit," "cub" or "pup". A group is called a "skulk".
The fox leaves urine scent markings to communicate to other foxes.