Red Fox

Red foxes can be found across North America and much of the Northern Hemisphere.

NPS Photo

Vulpes vulpes

Red foxes are small canines that are known for their beautiful red coats and long, bushy tails. Red foxes are generally monogamous and stay with the same mate for life. Males will usually help raise pups by bringing the female food while she is in the den with their pups. Sometimes a sister or daughter will also help raise the pups. This most commonly happens when a daughter from the previous litter stays to help and learn how to raise pups before finding a mate of her own. There are also cases of males having multiple mates who actually raise their litters together in the same den! Much like coyotes, this behavior is somewhat dependent on how many foxes live in the area. When there are a lot of foxes in an area, they are less likely to remain with a single partner.

Foxes are omnivorous and eat a wide variety of things from rodents, to insects, to plants. As adults, foxes can be eaten by coyotes or mountain lions, but cubs can also get eaten by large predatory birds. The red fox is widespread throughout the northern hemisphere and is not considered endangered or threatened.

Did You Know?

• Foxes have excellent hearing and can hear rodents moving around underground. They can also hear insects or rodents moving through the grass from several feet away. Sound is one the primary tools red foxes use to find prey.
• Foxes will sometimes appear to be grinning, but this is actually a sign of fear or submission to another dominant fox! Subtle signs of submission like this help prevent violent conflicts among animals because they communicate that a fox is not aggressive or not a threat to another fox. Similar signals can be found in wolf and coyote packs.

 

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Sources

Fox, M. W. (1970). A comparative study of the development of facial expressions in canids; wolf, coyote and foxes. Behaviour, 36(1-2), 49-73.