Everything about The Red Fox totally explained
The
Red Fox (
Vulpes vulpes) is a
mammal of the order
Carnivora. In
Great Britain and
Ireland, where there are no longer any other native wild canids, it's referred to simply as "the
fox". It has the widest range of any terrestrial
carnivore, being native to
Canada,
Alaska, almost all of the contiguous
United States,
Europe,
North Africa and almost all of
Asia, including
Japan. It was introduced in
Australia in the
19th century. As its name suggests, its fur is predominantly reddish-brown, but there's a naturally occurring grey morph known as the Silver Fox; a strain of
tame Silver Fox has been produced from these animals by systematic domestication.
Distribution
Today, the Red Fox has a range spanning most of
North America and
Eurasia, southern
Australia, and with several populations in
North Africa.
In Australia the Red Fox is an
introduced species and a serious conservation problem. Introduction occurred about 1850, for recreational fox hunting,
In North America the Red Fox is native in boreal regions, introduced in temperate regions. There is a recent fossil record of Red Foxes in boreal North America, and one subspecies of these native boreal foxes extends south in the Rocky Mountains. In temperate North America, Red Foxes are derived from European Red Foxes, which were introduced into the
Southeastern United States around 1650-1750 for
fox hunting,, and from there to
California for the
fur trade. The first introduction is attributed to
Robert Brooke, Sr., who is said to have imported 24 Red Foxes from England.. The introduced European Red Fox may have interbred with the scarce indigenous population to produce a
hybrid population.
Three subspecies of Red Fox are found in
India:
Vulpes vulpes montana (the
Tibetan Red Fox), found in
Ladakh and the
Himalayas,
Vulpes vulpes griffithi (the
Kashmir Fox) found in
Jammu and Kashmir less the Ladakh sector, and
Vulpes vulpes pusilla (the
Desert Fox) found in the
Thar Desert of
Rajasthan and in
Kutch,
Gujarat. A
subspecies, the
Japanese Red Fox (
Vulpes vulpes japonica) migrated from
India to
China and eventually to
Japan, where the Red Fox is also known by the
Japanese name
kitsune (狐).
Physical description
The largest
species within the
genus Vulpes, the Red Fox may reach an adult weight of 3–14
kg (6.6–30.8
lb), but this varies from region to region; foxes living in
Canada and
Alaska tend to be larger than foxes in the
United Kingdom, which are in turn larger than those inhabiting the
Southern United States. Head and body lenght is 18 to 33.75 in (46 to 86 cm), with a tail of 12 to 21.75 in (30.5 to 55.5 cm) Size can be estimated from tracks. Red Fox footprints are normally about 4.4 cm (1¾ inch) wide and 5.7 cm (2¼ inch) long. A normal Red Fox's
trotting
stride is about 33-38 cm (13-15 inch).
The Red Fox is most commonly a rusty red, with white underbelly, black ear tips and legs, and a bushy tail usually with a distinctive white tip. The "red" tone can vary from dark chestnut to golden, and in fact can be "
agouti", with bands of red, brown, black and white on each individual hair. In North America, the Red Fox's pelt has long, soft hair, whereas the fur of European Red Foxes is flatter and less silky.
In the wild, two other
colour phases are also seen. The first is silver or black, comprising 10% of the wild population. Approximately 30% of wild individuals have additional dark patterning, which usually manifests as bold markings on the face, with a stripe across the shoulders and down the centre of the back. The stripes form a "cross" over the shoulders, and these foxes are therefore often called
cross foxes. Farmed stock are mostly silver, but may be almost any colour including spotted or blotched with white.
Fox eyes are gold to yellow and have distinctive vertical-slit pupils, similar to those of
domestic cats. Their eyesight is also as sharp as that of a feline, and combined with their extreme agility for a canid, the Red Fox has been referred to as "the cat-like canid". Its long bushy tail with distinctive white tip provides balance for large jumps and complex movement. Its strong legs allow it to reach speeds of approximately 50
km/h (30
miles per hour), a great benefit to catching
prey or evading
predators.
In general, the spacing between the canine teeth is approximately –1
″ (18 to 25 mm) apart. Foxes lack the facial muscles necessary to bare their teeth, unlike most other canids. Foxes have been known to kill
deer fawns. In
Scandinavia, predation by Red Fox is the most important mortality cause for neonatal
Roe deer.
They will scavenge carrion and other edible material they find, and in urban areas, that'll scavenge on human refuse, even eating from pet food bowls left outside. Analysis of country and urban fox diets show that urban foxes have a higher proportion of scavenged food than country foxes. They typically eat 0.5–1 kg (1–2 lb) of food a day.
They usually hunt alone. With their acute sense of hearing, they can locate small mammals in thick grass, and they jump high in the air to pounce on the prey. They also stalk prey such as rabbits, keeping hidden until close enough to catch them in a short dash. Foxes tend to be extremely possessive of their food and won't share it with others. Exceptions to this rule include dog foxes feeding vixens during courtship and vixens feeding cubs.
Interspecific relationships
Along with the
Gray Fox, the Red Fox is the most common species of fox in North America. The two species prefer different habitats. The Red Fox prefers sparsely-settled, hill areas with wooded tracts,
marshes and streams. The Gray is found in brushy areas,
swamplands and rugged, mountainous terrain. Where their ranges overlap, the smaller Gray Foxes tend to be the dominant species due to higher levels of aggression. Red Foxes tend to be dominant in areas where they co-exist with
Arctic Foxes. The larger, more aggressive Red Fox can dominate Arctic Foxes in direct competition for den sites and other limited resources. Red Foxes in the San Joaquin Valley of California compete with the smaller endangered
San Joaquin Kit Fox.
In areas in North America where Red Fox and
Coyote populations are sympatric, fox territories tend to be located outside of coyote territories. The principal cause of this separation is believed to be active avoidance of coyotes by the foxes. Interactions between the two species vary in nature, ranging from active antagonism, to indifference. The majority of aggressive encounters are initiated by coyotes, and there are few reports of Red Foxes acting aggressively toward coyotes except when attacked or when their pups were approached. Foxes and coyotes have sometimes been seen feeding together.
In
Israel, the Red Fox shares its habitat with the
Golden Jackal. Where their ranges meet, the two canids compete due to near identical diets. Foxes ignore jackal scents or tracks in their territories, and avoid close physical proximity with jackals themselves. Studies show that in areas where jackals became very abundant, the population of foxes decreases significantly, apparently because of competitive exclusion.
Red Foxes sometimes compete with
Eurasian Badgers for earthworms, eggs, fruits and den sites. Badgers have been known to kill and eat fox cubs. However, violence between the two animals is thought to be uncommon, and most encounters amount to little more than mutual indifference. Foxes have on occasion shared dens with Eurasian Badgers.
Eurasian Lynxes tend to depress fox populations in areas where the two species are sympatric. The killing of Red Foxes by Eurasian Lynxes is uncommon but occurs during winter and spring, the main period when foxes establish new territories.
Behavior
Living as it does in a wide variety of habitats, the Red Fox displays a wide variety of behaviours. In
Biology and Conservation of Wild Canids,
MacDonald and
Sillero-Zubiri state that two populations of the Red Fox may be behaviourally as different as two species.
The Red Fox is primarily
crepuscular with a tendency to becoming
nocturnal in areas of great human interference (and artificial lighting); that's to say, it's most active at night and at twilight. It is generally a solitary hunter. If a fox catches more food than it can eat, it'll bury the extra food (cache) to store it for later.
In general, each fox claims its own
territory; it pairs up only in winter, foraging alone in the summer. Territories may be as large as
50 km² (19
square miles); ranges are much smaller (less than 12 km², 4.6 sq mi)) in habitats with abundant food sources, however. Several dens are utilized within these territories; dens may be claimed from previous residents such as
marmots, or dug anew. A larger main den is used for winter living, birthing and rearing of young; smaller dens are dispersed throughout the territory for emergency and food storage purposes. A series of tunnels often connects them with the main den. One fox may only need a square kilometre of land marked by recognition posts that are special smells that come from a scent gland located just above a fox's tail.
The Red Fox has been considered a monogamous species, however evidence for
polygamy (
polygyny and
polyandry) includes males’ extra-territorial movements during breeding season (possibly searching for additional mates) and males’ home ranges overlapping two or more females’ home ranges. Such variability is thought to be linked to variation in the spatial availability of key resources such as food.
Reproduction
The Red Fox breeding period varies widely due to its broad distribution; southern populations breed from December to January, central populations from January to February and northern populations from February to April. Females have an annual
estrous period of between 1 and 6 days;
ovulation is spontaneous. Copulation is loud and short, usually lasting no more than 20 seconds. Although a female may mate with several males (who fight amongst each other for the right), she'll eventually settle with only one.
Males will supply food to females up to and after birthing, otherwise leaving the female alone with her kits (also called cubs or pups) in a "maternity den". An average litter size is five kits, but may be as large as 13. Kits are born blind and may weigh as much as 150
grams (0.33 lb). Their eyes are open by two weeks and the kits have taken their first exploratory steps out of the den by five weeks; by ten weeks they're fully weaned.
In
autumn of the same year, the young foxes will disperse and claim their own territories. The Red Fox reaches sexual maturity by ten months of age, and may live for 12 years in captivity but will usually only live three years in the wild.
Foxes and humans
The Red Fox has both positive and negative standing with humans, often being loved or hated. This has been most visible in the
United Kingdom where
fox hunting with dogs was a traditional sport and an occasional localised means of culling, until this was made
illegal in
Scotland in August, 2002, and in
England and Wales in
February, 2005. The fox features in much folklore (see
Reynard), usually as a wily villain, though sometimes also as the underdog who triumphs over human efforts to control or destroy it.
Like other wild animals, foxes are considered
vectors of disease. The Red Fox helps farmers by preying on animals that damage crops but is considered to be a pest by farmers involved in
poultry farming. In some places, the Red Fox is used as a food animal.
Greater visibility in nature documentaries and sympathetic have improved the Red Fox's reputation and appeal in recent years.
In
Hong Kong, it's a
protected species under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance Cap 170.
Fur trade
The Red Fox is of some importance in the
fur industry. The fur of a silver fox was once considered by the natives of
New England to be worth over 40
beaver skins. A chieftain accepting a gift of silver fox fur was seen as an act of reconciliation. Today, silver fox is traditionally used for collars and cuffs, wraps and stoles, while common Red Fox fur is used for trimming and for full fur garments. Surplus killing will often occur in enclosed spaces such as huts, with discarded feathers and headless bodies usually being the main indicators of fox predation.
Although poultry is the most commonly-taken domesticated prey, Red Foxes will on some occasions kill young or small animals, particularly
lambs and
kids. In exceptional circumstances, they may attack sub-adult and adult sheep and goats and sometimes small calves.
In human imagination
The emblematic Red Fox is a frequent player in the stories of many cultures. A
trickster character, the word
Sly is almost invariably associated with foxes in English, and the connotation of a sneaking intelligence (or even magic powers of stealth) are seen in traditional tales of Europe, Japan, China, and North America (though here the
Coyote usually plays this role).
In the European
fable tradition, running from
Aesop's Fables, to
Jean de La Fontaine's
Fabliaux and the
Reynard tales, the fox ranges from immoral villain (as the
Fox in the hen house), to sly operator (either foolish or crafty), to wise observer (as a mouthpiece for the moral in some Aesop tales) to clever underdog (exemplified by the Reynard tradition). Some historians argue that the fox came to symbolise the survival strategies of European
peasantry from the
Medieval period to the
French Revolution. Peasants admired guile and wit needed to out manoeuvre the powers of aristocracy, state and church, just as they saw the fox use these same qualities to raid their livestock under cover of darkness.
Feral foxes in Australia
Feral foxes in
Australia pose a serious conservation problem. According to the Australian Government, the Red Fox was introduced to Australia for
hunting in 1855, but has since become wide-spread, and is considered responsible for the decline in a number of species of native animals in the "
critical weight range". In a program known as
Western Shield,
Western Australia state government authorities conduct aerial and hand baiting on almost
35,000 km² (8.75 million
acres) to control foxes and
feral cats. The West Australian conservation department,
CALM, estimates introduced
predators are responsible for the extinction of ten native species in that state, while
Western Shield targets the conservation of 16 others.
According to the Tasmanian government, Red Foxes have recently been introduced to the previously fox free island of
Tasmania. An eradication program is being conducted by the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water. An independent member of the Tasmanian state Parliament,
Ivan Dean, has claimed that the fox introductions are a hoax, a claim the Minister for Primary Industry,
David Llewellyn described as a "load of rubbish".
In Australia, foxes are usually controlled with
baits or the animals shot with the aid of
spotlighting. The eyeshine signature (from the
tapetum lucidum in the eye) of foxes, and body shape and
silhouette are used to identify them. Success has also been found with the reintroduction of the native "Australian Dog", the
Dingo, which has been shown to control the number of feral foxes, and a consequential increase in native fauna.
Subspecies
Further Information
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