Red Fox

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Native to North America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, red foxes are most active during the hours between midnight and dawn, which may explain why they have whiskers on both their faces and their legs that help them find their way. Their thick tails, also called a brush, is used not only as warm cover in the winter but it also aids in balance and as a signal flag to communicate with other foxes. They also signal each other by scent when they urinate on trees or rocks to announce their presence. Solitary hunters, they prey on rodents, rabbits, birds, and other small game. They will also eat fruit and vegetables, fish, frogs, and even worms. Red Fox live in diverse habitats such as forests, grasslands, mountains, and deserts and have also adapted to human environments such as farms and suburban areas where they dine on garbage and pet food. Their short life span (in the wild, up to 2 years) encourages the females (vixens) to breed two or three times and the males (dogs) to mate only once. Once the cubs (litters are typically 4 or 5 pups) are born the male is allowed to bring food to the family – he is not allowed in the den prior to the birth. The cubs eyes and ears open after two weeks and they emerge from the den at four weeks. Both parents care for the young through the summer before they strike out on their own in the fall.

Red Fox - Fast Facts

Type: Mammal
Diet: Omnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 2 to 4 years
Size: Head and body, 18 to 33.75 in (46 to 86 cm); Tail, 12 to 21.75 in (30.5 to 55.5 cm)
Weight: 6.5 to 24 lbs (3 to 11 kg)
Status: STABLE

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