The red fox or common fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a mammal belonging to the canid family and is the most studied of its genus (Vulpes). This beautiful animal is easily recognizable by its reddish fur and its stylized appearance. Due to the destruction of its habitat and the lack of food resources, the fox is moving closer and closer to urban areas, where there is an abundance of garbage that, sadly, is the main food of many populations.
In this tab on our site we will talk about the red fox or common fox. We will learn their origin, what they are like, where they live, what they feed on and many other curiosities.
Origin of the Red Fox
The red fox is the most widely distributed carnivore in the world It inhabits all of Europe, Asia, North Africa, North America and Oceania. They arrived in Australia from the hand of the human being in 1868 and has spread throughout much of the continent. In North America, we can find them throughout Canada and the United States. The red fox in Spain inhabits various regions, including forest environments and high mountain areas, up to 3,000 meters above sea level.
It's Originally from the Old World. Its ancestral form was probably small, based on the fossil record dating back 300,000 years. Outside of Europe, the fossils found are from 400 thousand years ago. It is believed that they arrived in America 122 thousand years ago.
Characteristics of the red fox
The common fox is a relatively small mammal, weighing between 3 and 14 kilograms. Its snout is elongated, the ears are large and pointed, the tail is long, almost as long as the body. Their legs are tall and thin, they are good runners and jumpers
In the red fox, shades of yellow to reddish brown predominate on the upper body. The cheeks, chin, throat and abdomen are white. The face and the croup area have a slightly rusty color. The legs and the tips of the ears are black. At the end of their tails they have a very distinctive tuft of white hair.
Displays a wide variation in size depending on the individual and the geographic area. The length of the head and body in adults can vary from 0.45 to 0.90 meters, the length of the tail is from 0.30 to 0.55 meters and the body mass de 3 to 14kgMales are, on average, larger than females, but there are no other variations associated with sex.
Red Fox Habitat
The common fox is one of the species with the greatest ability to adapt to the environment. We can find it in all kinds of natural habitats such as forests, pastures, mountains, plains, beaches, desert or semi-desert areas, cultivated areas, tundra, etc. They can also live in urban and suburban areas. Foxes like heterogeneous and fragmented habitats Prey availability is the most important factor affecting habitat.
Red Fox Feeding
The red fox has a very varied diet, rabbits, hares, squirrels, mice, rats and other small mammals are the most important to your diet. They also occasionally consume mustelids, raccoons, opossums, and muskrats. In certain areas and at specific times they can also eat birds.
They supplement their diet with fruits wild, insects, crustaceans, worms and fish.
Red Fox Breeding
They are seasonally monogamous, that is, during the breeding season they are with a single partner. The reproductive period in foxes in temperate climates occurs between December and April, with most copulations occurring during the months of January and February
Females are monoestrous, they have a single oestrus that lasts between 1 and 6 days. Copulation lasts about 26 minutes on average and gestation lasts 52 days. The average number of young is related to the he alth of the female. The abundance of food, sexual immaturity and population density affect reproductive capacity.
Can the red fox be a pet?
Due to the popularity of these animals on the web, more and more people are wondering if it is right to have a red fox as a pet, however, we must remember that it isnon-domesticated wild animals , so from our site we do not recommend keeping foxes as pets. The same thing happens with the different species of foxes that exist, such as the desert fox, the gray fox or the arctic fox, none of them should be considered a companion animal.
