The canids are a varied group of mammals that currently number 35 species, distributed in 12 genera. Within this last taxonomic level we find Vulpes, which brings together the true foxes, since there are other genera that also contain species of animals called in the same way. There are 12 types of foxes, which are found in a variety of habitats in different countries.
Do you want to know Where the foxes live? We invite you to continue reading this article on our site to discover exactly what the fox's habitat is like.
Fox Distribution
The distribution of true foxes is mainly limited to the northern hemisphere, thus, they are present in North America, Europe and Asia, which includes from India to Japan. Some are also native to certain areas of Africa.
However, some types of foxes have been introduced to regions where they are not native, such as the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), which is now a species found in Oceania, being present in Australia and Tasmania, as well as in North America.
Foxes, then, are more concentrated towards northern latitudes, even reaching extreme areas such as the arctic. On the contrary, they do not tend to be distributed towards the tropical regions.
Fox Habitat
Being present on different continents, foxes, depending on the species, live in different types of habitats. Let's find out where the foxes live according to the species below:
- Pale fox (V. pallida): this species is native to Africa, lives towards the limits of the desert and semi-desert of the Sahara, in dry sandy and stony areas, but also extends to the more humid Guinean savannahs. On the other hand, it can also be in humanized areas with the presence of crops, so that they take advantage of these resources to feed themselves.
- Corsac fox (V. corsac): The corsac fox is native mainly to Asia, but also to parts of Europe. It is a species that avoids areas with abundant vegetation, having its greatest development in grasslands, deserts and semi-deserts. Thus, it preferentially opts for lowlands and does not move to the mountainous parts.
- Arctic fox (V. lagopus): the species has a circumpolar distribution, developing in the arctic tundra, with a presence in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Russia, among other regions. In this way, if you are wondering where arctic foxes live, you should know that they live in both the arctic and alpine tundra, so they have access to both internal land areas and maritime areas devoid of ice, which they take advantage of to hunt.
- Cape Fox (V. chama): Native to South Africa, with a wide distribution in habitats of grasslands, open fields, with scattered vegetation and in some cases semi-abundant. It also grows in areas with dry, rocky outcrops, with marshy limits and cultivated spaces.
- Tibetan Fox (V. ferrilata): is an Asian species native to China, India, and Nepal. It develops on plains and highland hills, with a range between 2,500 and 5,200 meters, but is usually located above 4,000 meters. It lives in habitats generally without trees and shrubs.
- Blanford's Fox (V.cana): this type of fox is native to Asia, with an important distribution in the Middle East. It develops in mountains, without exceeding 2,000 m a.s.l. n. m., with dry climates, mountain slopes, rocky spaces, low basins and certain crop areas.
- Swift fox (V. velox): it is native to the United States and Canada, although in the latter region it is reported as endangered of extinction. It inhabits meadows with mainly level soils, with short or mixed grasses. It also develops in certain crop fields such as wheat.
- Bengal Fox (V. bengalensis): Also an Asian species, but native to India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Its habitat is made up of areas with flat or undulating soils, semi-deserts, scrub and pasture ecosystems, and it tends to avoid spaces with abundant vegetation or truly desert areas.
- Rüppell's Fox (V.rueppellii): it is native mainly to North Africa, although it is also present in certain areas of the Middle East. It lives in sandy habitats and rocky spaces, mostly with desert conditions, although some can be in areas with a certain presence of vegetation of herbs and grasses.
- Red fox (V. vulpes): where the red fox lives is one of the main doubts, and this is a species native to Europe and Asia, which has been introduced in America and Oceania, which has led it to be considered the member of the order of carnivores with the widest range of global distribution. It inhabits a wide variety of areas such as tundra, deserts, forests and even certain urban areas.
- Fennec fox (V. zerda): This is a fox native to North Africa that lives in desert, remote, where dunes, spaces with little vegetation and low rainfall predominate.
- Kit fox (V. macrotis): It is native to North America, specifically the United States and Mexico. It lives in both arid and semi-arid areas, in thickets, with little ground cover, sandy spaces with height ranges from 400 to 1,900 meters.
Where do foxes sleep?
Now that you know where foxes live depending on the species, or more specifically what their habitat is like, it is important to mention where they sleep and spend their resting hours. Foxes are animals that usually use burrows to sleep and rest These burrows are also the place where females take refuge to give birth and take care of their young the first weeks of life before they can surface. The dens can be made by themselves or they can also use some abandoned by other animals, as in the case of marmots.
Some fox species manage to develop a complex burrow system made up of several tunnels and entrances. This complex is used by several family generations of foxes. Now, foxes are not the only animals that use these complexes, as we have mentioned, there are many other animals that live in caves and burrows, as we show in this other post.
Fox Protected Areas
Foxes are present in a series of protected areas in different countries where they live, and some of them are considered in danger of extinction. Let's find out what these regions are below:
- Pale Fox: present in several protected areas in Niger and Chad, such as the Termit and Tin Toumma National Nature and Cultural Reserves and in the Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Fauna Reserve.
- Corsac Fox: Found in reserves and national parks in China, Russia, and Mongolia, among others.
- Arctic Fox: Despite its wide distribution, it is not found in many protected areas, with the exception of Sweden, Finland and Iceland.
- Cape fox: it is present in various reserves and protected natural areas, both private and public, and we have an example in the Reserve Native to Nhlangano, in southern Africa.
- Tibetan Fox: although it grows in a minimum of protected areas, in China it is present in some large reserves such as Arjin Shan, Xianza, Chang Tang, Kekexili and Sanjiangyuan.
- Blanford's Fox: In some countries such as Iran, Israel, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, the species is located in protected areas.
- Swift Fox: Not much protected in Canada, but some of these foxes do inhabit Grasslands National Park. In the United States, in the various protected areas where the species historically developed, it has not been documented, however, it has been seen in the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Also in other government areas that, although they are not protected areas, would be under protection.
- Bengal Fox: Found in certain protected areas in India and Nepal, such as Bardia National Park, National Park Chitwan and the Shukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve, as well as several Sanctuaries.
- Rüppel's Fox: present in several protected areas in Africa.
- Red fox: inhabits certain protected areas located in the subarctic and temperate zones.
- Fennec fox: present in various protected areas in its distribution range, some examples, among others, are found in National Parks Khnifiss and Irikki in Morocco, Ahaggar and Tassili n'Ajjer National Parks in Algeria, Djebil and Sanghar National Parks in Tunisia, Zellaf NR in Libya and the Bir El Abd Conservation Area in Egypt.
- Kit fox: both in Mexico and the United States it is found in protected areas. In the first case, in the El Vizcaíno, Mapimí, El Pinacate and Janos Biosphere Reserves, and in the Cuatro Ciénegas Special Protection Area. In the second, in a variety of these special spaces.
