Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
- Type: Mammal
- Family: Canidae
- Habitat: Highly variable. Edge forests, deserts, tundra, cities, and suburban areas
- Location: Most of the Northern Hemisphere and Australia
- Diet: Rodents, birds, insects, carrion and fruit
- Average lifespan in the wild: 3 years in the wild; 10-12 years in captivity
- Size: Head and body 18-35.4 in (45.5-90 cm); tail 11.8-21.8 in (30-55.5 cm)
- Weight: 6.6-30.8 lbs (3-14 kg)
The small, slender bodies of red foxes are designed for speed and agility. In proportion to other canid species, red foxes have longer legs and smaller stomachs — adaptations that allow the animal to run nearly 30 miles per hour. A smaller stomach means they need to eat more often, and red foxes opportunistically eat a wide variety of foods as they traverses their home range at night, such as insects, fruits, earthworms, and scraps left by humans. Although they also hunt during the day, red foxes have very acute senses to help them succeed as nocturnal predators. Their eyes are designed to work well in low light conditions, and they maneuver their erect triangular ears to locate the faint rustling noises of rodents. When a mouse is detected, red foxes stand alert and motionless, using their ears and eyes to pinpoint the location of the rodent. Then they launch themselves into the air at a 45-degree angle, and land on the mouse, pinning it to the ground.
Red foxes are territorial, and mark their home range using feces and urine. A dominance hierarchy determines who breeds, and the dominant female gives birth each year to a litter of 3 to 12 pups. Mothers keep their offspring in dens, and non-breeding adults help care for the young. There are several different red fox color variants, which can often be seen within a litter. These include the silver, black, and cross variants. All red foxes have thick fur, a wide, bushy tail, and a narrow, pointed muzzle.
Red foxes have the largest distribution of any canid species. They can be found in almost the entire northern hemisphere, in part because they have such a diverse diet. As a species, red foxes have adapted well to human expansion. They thrive in urban areas, and have benefited from the human conversion of forest into agricultural lands. Red foxes are often seen as a threat to poultry and young livestock, even though they usually prey only on weak and sick animals. Though many farmers consider them pests, red foxes play a major role in controlling populations of crop-threatening animals like rabbits and rodents.
Did you know: Red fox predators are eagles, coyotes, gray wolves, bears, mountain lions, and humans, who have been hunting red foxes since the 4th century BC.
Photo by Otmar Penker © ORF / Die ARGEntur Filmproduktions GmbH
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Great artical. I have a question. I have a couple of small dogs. We have erected a caged dog run it stands arounr1.6 metres high. Can the fox climb this type of structure? Kindest Regards Gwen.
hi i am doin a report `on da red fox nd i lik it
Great description Q. why do they bark? Their piercing bark or call, goes on for an hour each night, I have a pair on my land and want to know what they are communicating. Thank you.
Are foxes afraid of people and horses? Also I have 2 small dogs, will the fox try to hurt them?
we have a fox who keeps coming into the garden and digging a hole we fill it in and the next day it is back and digs in the same place what can i do to stop it
I have seen a red fox run through my yard. Yesterday it was inside a fenced pool area. We have an abundance of squirrels and chipmunks that have become pests. Will the fox help control the pests or is it a danger to humans?
I have the same question as B Massey #7.
Are they a danger to humans.
Thanks
saw red fox in backyard about 1:30 pm are they nocturnal? could he be rabid? do they eat the blossom on daylilies?
I was walking my dog a few nights ago, when I saw a fox watching us from a long dark driveway. My dog and I kept walking down the road and the fox started gingerly following us. Everytime we stopped, he stopped. We played this little game down the road and back again. I was calling out to the little fox and whistling softly to him as u would a puppy. He was so sweet, I was hoping he would follow me home. My question, Is this normal behavior for a fox? Have you ever heard of such a thing?
My house backs up to park land and I heard this awful crying like screech it was almost like a baby crying. I searched my yard for an injured animal and found a red fox in my back yard. What was the crying for? Also, as I was sitting on my back patio a fox came up to me as close as 4 feet away. I moved and it ran off. My question is is it normal for a fox to be out in the daytime?
Thanks,
Anita
We have several Red Fox killing our chickens and Roosters. They rip their heads off and eat very little of them.
everyone in our subdivision is seeing a fox or fox’s daily. they come into the yards in the park area around the ball fields–seem to have no fear of humans
i have heard that some red fox’s do have a type of rabies that sometimes causes them to be overly friendly? do you know of this? also i have a 5 ft fence and 3 small dogs–are they in danger if inside the fence? last week a fox bite a girl trying to get to her cat–it had rabies. i live in bham ala. thank you
i have heard that some red fox’s do have a type of rabies that sometimes causes them to be overly friendly? do you know of this? also i have a 5 ft fence and 3 small dogs–are they in danger if inside the fence? last week a fox bite a girl trying to get to her cat–it had rabies. i live in bham ala. thank you
thank-you helped a lot with my oral presentation
awesome helped me lotz on my report!!!
Ive caught a red fox with my hands once. I dunno i saw him chased him and got him….im native indian so were nuts like that lol. Anyway he was sly and didnt move bite or yell as he sat on my lap while i plucked the vast amount of ticks and burs off him. I let him go, he ran off stopped looked back then cooly walked away. Now he is full grown and hangs about the area. In the back of my house today i saw a lovely family of deer and there was foxy, calmly walking past them. At nite sometimes their calls are kinda spooky, sounding like a screaming woman at times but they are mating and simply locating each other. They are not necessarily nocturnal animals but they do hunt mostly at nite while they graze and strut around during the day. As for dogs, dogs mark their territories so they wont go near them and if they do they most likely wont attack. These animals wont prey on other animals bigger than them. Plus they enjoy vegetation as much as they do meat and can be scavengers just the same. On the whole, they are peaceful calm creatures that u can allow to wonder around u without being attacked. Like i said, today foxy was two feer from a young deer and didnt even bother it. It was cute. As far as rabies go, they wont get friendly just it makes them confused and they will come closer to humans. Rabies also come easier to wild animals who live in an area where there are more people. I live in the middle of nowhere in outer philly so they are safe. And as for foxes controlling the squirrel population, well, we have lots of them and i havent seen any signs that foxy has been eating them, however the rabbit family that resides under my bushes each year hasnt been seen in quite a while. I let my kitties out and have no issues but i know foxy eats my trash at nite:)
this is so interesting it helped