Red Fox

Vulpes vulpes

The red fox is a slender, dog-like mammal that varies in color from bright red or rust to reddish-brown. Adults have:

• Upright, triangular ears with black on the tips.
• Black fur on the lower legs and feet.
• A slim muzzle.
• A bushy, red-and-black tail, usually tipped in white.
• White underparts.

Red foxes can grow to about 25 inches long and weigh 6 to 15 pounds.

Where does the red fox live?

Red foxes can be found locally in ravines, forests and farmland. They are mostly nocturnal, but are also active during dusk and dawn. Adena Brook Community mentor Lisa Fosco (Ohio Wildlife Center) says there are several families of fox living in our neighborhood. 

What does the red fox eat?

Red foxes hunt and forage for:

• Fruits, seeds and berries.
• Small mammals, including voles, mice, rabbits and muskrats.
• Small marsh birds and their eggs.
• Invertebrates like worms and insects.

Red foxes are sensitive to low-frequency sounds, allowing them to hear smaller mammals digging, chewing and rustling underground. Once a red fox detects its prey, it rapidly digs into the soil to capture it. Red foxes will also stalk small mammals by standing very still, then leaping high and bringing their forepaws down hard to pin the animal to the ground.

When does the red fox breed?

Red foxes usually begin breeding in late winter or early spring, sometimes as early as January.

• Adults remain solitary until ready to breed, when they begin a pattern of nocturnal barking.
• Females have a single estrous period every year that lasts only two to four days. They are thought to mate for life.
• After mating, the female establishes a den, which she may dig or take over from another mammal. She may use the same den each year.
• After about 53 days, the female has a litter of about four to six pups.
• At birth, pups’ tails are white. The mother nurses her young for the first 56 to 70 days, after which she feeds them regurgitated meat.
• Kits play above group after about one month. Eventually, the kits hunt with their parents.
• Young leave the family society at about 7 months old. Young males may travel as far as 150 miles away, while females remain closer. Adults also leave and hunt alone until the next mating season.

Other facts about the red fox:

• Related to wolves, coyotes and domestic dogs. While their cousins tend to be more social animals, red foxes are solitary, cautious and tense.
• Introduced to the United States from England in the mid-1800s. They flourished in this country for a period, but unregulated trapping and hunting greatly reduced their population.
• Red foxes are fast runners. They can move at speeds of nearly 30 miles per hour and leap more than 6 feet high.
• Can live to 12 years in captivity, but usually only reach about 3 years in the wild.