Fauna Report: Red Fox

Veronica Patterson
Ms. Overly
Science Pd 4
May 20, 2008

Fauna Report for Field Journal Project: Red Fox

The red fox, Vulpes vulpes, inhabits almost all of North America and Eurasia. There are also several populations in the Northern Africa. The red fox can survive in different ecosystems, including plains, forests, and scrublands. Though they typically prefer lower altitudes, there are populations as far north as the arctic.

The physical characteristics of this species vary depending on the environment. In general the adult fox weighs from 6.6 to 30.8 pounds, about the size of a small dog. Red foxes can be anywhere from 18 to 33.75 inches long. In comparison to their total length foxes’ have long tails that range from 12 to 27.5 inches long. Their small size is important, because in cold climates it allows them to walk on snow without breaking through. It also allows them to hunt their prey more easily, because their steps create fewer vibrations through the ground. Their long tails offer an advantage in balance for the foxes, allowing them to walk on treacherous surfaces like snow without losing their balance.

The red fox typically has a red coat, with a white underbelly and black tips on it ears nose and leg. However, some variations in the wild can have a brown black coat. They can also have mottled coats, which have colored spots or blotches, and a variety of facial markings. The darker and mottled coats can offer an advantage in more thickly forested areas, because it allows the fox to camouflage itself in the shadows of the plants.

Red foxes are mostly carnivorous. Though they do eat vertebrates such as small rodents, rabbits, small fish, and birds, the majority of their diet consists of invertebrates. These invertebrates include insects, mollusks, earthworms, and crayfish. When available they supplement their diet with plant material such as apples, plums, blackberries, and other fruit. These foxes are also impressive scavengers that will often follow larger animals, wait for them to make a kill, and then eat whatever is left over. When scavenging they must be careful, because if they come to close wolves, and bears they will not hesitate to attack a fox. Along with wolves and bears, badgers will often prey on foxes.

These foxes are mostly independent creatures. In the summer they prefer to forage alone, while in winter they form pairs to mate. Foxes typically mate from December to February. However, the exact time when they mate depends on the climate they inhabit. The pair will stay together through the winter, with the male fox providing for the female fox as she raises their young kits.

Each red fox claims its own territory. Territories may be as large as 19 square miles and within these territories there are usually several dens. These dens are often abandoned dens of marmots or badgers, and sometimes the fox will dig the den itself. The digging of these dens can affect the habitat they live in, because it can destroy the burrows of other organisms in the ecosystem, such as mice. Some smaller dens are used for hunting and summer rest areas while a larger den is usually reserved for winter rest, mating, and the raising of kits. Most red foxes are crepuscular, active during twilight, however, due to the large amount of human lights near their territories, many have begun to display nocturnal habits.




Works Cited:
New Hampshire Public Television. (2008, January 1). Red Fox-Vulpes vulpes. Retrieved May 13, 2008, from Nature Works: http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/redfox.htm
Wikipedia. (2008, May 12). Red Fox. Retrieved May 13, 2008, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_fox