Red Fox
Vulpes vulpes
Usually live only 3 years in the wild.
Identification
• Small dog-like mammal
• Pointed face and ears
• Lightly built body and
long fur
• The tail is one third of
the length of the fox
• Males are slightly larger
than females
• Foxes are larger the
farther north they hunt
Range
The Red Fox lives around the world in many diverse environments.
Habitat
• Red foxes live in diverse
habitats around the
world
• They have been known
to live in forests,
grasslands, mountains,
prairies and deserts
• Native to every
continent except
Australia (it was
introduced) the fox
makes its home in most
any environment
Diet
• Nocturnal omnivore
• Eats mostly fruits,
berries, grasses, insects,
birds, and small
mammals
• Will store extra food in
preparation for hard
times
Mating
• Mates from January
through March
• Courting foxes travel
and hunt together for
about three weeks
• The male fox expands
his range to find more
prey to support the
female while she is
carrying and caring for
the kits
Den
• The female will make or
adopt many dens in case
one is disturbed
• Red fox may use rabbit
burrows or badger sett
• They hunt from 4 to 8 km
around the den
• When not breeding, the
red fox does not use a
den and sleeps on the
ground wrapped in its tail
The Young
• Two months after mating
the female gives birth to a
litter of 1-10 kits
• The kits leave the den
when they are about a
month old and are fed by
their mother until they
are seven months old
• Foxes tend to live in social
groups based on family
ties
Predators
• Red fox have few
predators because
predators rarely eat
other predators
• Large predatory birds or
wolves may attack foxes
• Badgers have rarely
been observed to attack
foxes if in a dispute
• Humans sometime kill
foxes
Voice
• Foxes are quiet outside the breeding season
• Newborn foxes make a yelping noise
• Adult foxes have a high pitched cry that
sounds similar to a cat
• Sound plays an important role by helping
locate other foxes and track a mate
• A recording of the red fox howl can be found:
http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/
Mammals/Red%20Fox/RedFoxYell.wav
Interesting Facts
• Not all Red foxes are actually red, there is a
range of colors of the fox which can occur in
the same litter
• Red fox and badgers have been known to
share burrows with the badger as the
‘landlord’ that can evict the fox at any time
• A mother will giver her kits live prey to ‘play’
with. This helps develop valuable hunting skills
To learn more about CREA please
visit www.creamaine.org
Work Cited
• http://tailsofgold.files.wordpress.com/2009/1
2/red-fox-sleeping.jpg
• http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp?cid=8&id=102
• http://blackforestmusings.files.wordpress.com
/2008/12/redfox.jpg
• http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/anima
ls/mammals/red-fox/
• http://mynarskiforest.purrsia.com/ev4rhab.ht
m
• http://www.destination360.com/northamerica/us/kansas/prairies
• http://www.rivernen.ca/fox_0021.jpg
• http://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/red_fox.html
• http://www.wildlifephotoart.com/acatalog/co
urtship_chase_PFX-8_200.jpg
• http://www.worldofstock.com/slides/NAN650
1.jpg
• http://scienceblogs.com/strangerfruit/480_ea
gle%20vs%20fox.jpg
• http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/
Mammals/Red%20Fox/RedFoxYell.wav
• http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/redfox.ht
m