Contact

Basic Fox Facts

What is a fox?

The red fox Vulpes vulpes is a small member of the Canidae, commonly known as the dog family.

It is a distant relation of wolves, coyotes and jackals. Red foxes are the largest of the world's 20 species of fox. Their relations include the Arctic fox (left).

Where do they live?

Red foxes are native to Europe, Asia south to India and east to Japan, parts of northern Africa and the Middle East, and North America. They have been introduced to Australia.

They are habitat generalists, surviving in the Arctic, in some of the world's driest deserts, and nearly everywhere in-between. They are found in wilderness areas, rural countryside and busy cities.

How I can I identify a fox?

Typically, a red fox has a orange coat with a white chest and a white tip to the tail.

However, they are also found in black-and-orange ("cross") and pure black colour morphs. Almost all fox brushes (tails) are long enough to drag on the ground, unlike those of coyotes or wolves. They have pricked black ears and black feet. They have thicker coats in winter but do not change colour. Very young cubs are chocolate brown with blue eyes.

Although foxes are very small, they can appear larger at a distance, so size isn't a good clue.

How big is a fox?

Red foxes are an optical illusion: they seem dramatically bigger when further away. These figures from the National Audubon Society Field Guide show just how tiny they really are:

Weight: 3.6 - 6.8kg (7 - 15lb)

Height: 38 - 41cm (15 - 16in)

Length: 90 - 103cm (35 - 41in)

British foxes are slightly shorter and heavier than their North American cousins.

How many foxes exist?

No figure has been estimated for the total number of red foxes in the world. The UK population is stable at around 258,000, but few statistics are available for the rest of their vast range. However, according to the Canid Specialist Group, over 1.5 million wild red fox pelts were sold in 1985-86.

Fox numbers are regulated by competition for territory, and, potentially, by natural food supplies. Mortality from shooting, trapping and car accidents is high in some areas, but rarely holds fox populations below the carrying capacity of the environment. Hunting with dogs has no significant impact on numbers at all.

Medium-sized carnivores such as coyotes and lynx sometimes kill foxes, but they are not usually hunted by wolves.

What do they eat?

Foxes are omnivorous and consume a wide variety of plant and animal prey. Their basic diet is small rodents but they also hunt rabbits, birds, and the occasional squirrel. Berries and rosehips are an important part of their diet in some seasons. They will also eat crabs, earthworms and any carrion available from large mammals killed by wolves. When in contact with people, they scavenge insecurely stored rubbish and litter.

How do they fit in?

Foxes are classed as mesocarnivores. They interact with many other species in ecosystems through predation, competition and mutualism.

Do they live in packs?

Foxes don't hunt in packs like wolves, but they do live in social units. These may be a dogfox and a vixen and their cubs from last year, or a number of other variations. Some foxes don't have a home territory and trespass as vagrants.

How do they "talk"?

Foxes communicate with each other by an astonishing variety of barks, growls, whimpers and screams. At close range body language is crucially important. Like dogs, foxes use their tail, ears and general body pose to indicate emotion and response to another fox.

What about cubs?

In the UK, most cubs (or kits) are born in February and March, and start appearing above ground in April. Vixens have from one to twelve cubs (although in large litters it is unlikely that all the young will survive). The males disperse in November to look for their own territory, but some vixens stay with the mother for another year.

What is fox sign like?

Fox scat (left) is dark with twisted ends. It will of course reflect what the foxes find locally to eat. The scats in the photo show that the fox had been eating wild cherries, but they also may contain fur, bones, blackberry seeds, etc. If the fox scavenges human food, its scats will resemble those of a small dog.

Tracks are similar to a small dog's, although they may show calluses in the pads, and positive identification in areas popular with dog walkers can be difficult.

All photos, text and other content © Adele B. (www.thesittingfox.co.uk) 2006 - 2010. Inspired by stuff found at www.webcodingtech.com.