Family: Canidae, Dogs view all from this family

Description Rusty reddish above; white underparts, chin, and throat. Long, bushy tail with white tip. Prominent pointed ears. Backs of ears, lower legs, and feet black. Color variations include a black phase (almost completely black), a silver phase (black with silver-tipped hairs), a cross phase (reddish brown with a dark cross across shoulders), and intermediate phases; all have white-tipped tail. Ht 15–16" (38–41 cm); L 35–41" (90–103 cm); T 13 3/4–17" (35–43 cm); HF 5 3/4–7" (14.6–17.8 cm); E 3–3H0 (7.7–8.9 cm); Wt 7 7/8–15 lb (3.6–6.8 kg).

Similar Species All other North American canids lack conspicuously white-tipped tail. Common Gray Fox, often confused with this species, is reddish on backs and outsides of ears, around neck, and on sides of belly, but otherwise is gray and lacks white tail tip.

Breeding Mates January– early March; 1 litter of 1–10 kits born March–May in maternity den; gestation 51–53 days.

Habitat Varied: mixed cultivated and wooded areas, and brushlands.

Range Most of Canada and U.S. except for far north, nw British Columbia, much of w U.S., and s Florida.

Discussion Regarded as the embodiment of cunning, the Red Fox is believed by many field observers merely to be extremely cautious and, like other canids, capable of learning from experience. Even when fairly common, it may be difficult to observe, as it is shy, nervous, and primarily nocturnal (though it may be abroad near dawn or dusk or on dark days). It eats whatever is available, feeding heavily in summer on vegetation, including corn, berries, apples, cherries, grapes, acorns, and grasses, and in winter on birds and mammals, including mice, rabbits, squirrels, and Woodchucks. Invertebrates such as grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, beetles, and crayfish compose about one-fourth of its diet. The hearing of the Red Fox differs from that of most mammals in that it is most sensitive to low-frequency sounds. The fox listens, for example, for the underground digging, gnawing, and rustling of small mammals. When it hears such sounds, it frantically digs into the soil or snow to capture the animal. The Red Fox is cat-like in stalking its prey. It hunts larger quarry, such as rabbits, by moving in as close as possible, then attempting to run the prey down when it bolts. The Red Fox continues to hunt when full, caching excess food under snow, leaves, or soft dirt. It probably finds its caches by memory, aided by smell, although other animals sometimes find them first. An adult fox rarely retires to a den in winter. In the open, it curls into a ball, wrapping its bushy tail about its nose and foot pads, and at times may be completely blanketed with snow. Adults usually are solitary until the mating season, which begins (usually in late January or February) with nocturnal barking. The maternity den is established shortly after mating and abandoned by late August when families disperse. The female usually cleans out extra dens, to be used in case of disturbance, but the same one may be occupied for several years. Upon birth, most pups already show the white tail tip. When about one month old, the young play aboveground and feed on what is brought to them by their parents and sometimes by "helper" foxes, unbred females or female progeny that have not left the territory. Food is given to the first pup that begs for it, and some young may die in years when nourishment is scarce. At first, the mother predigests and regurgitates meat, but soon she brings live prey, enabling the kits to practice killing. Later the young begin to hunt with the parents. The kits disperse at about seven months, males traveling away up to 150 miles (240 km) or more, females usually remaining closer. Adults also disperse, remaining solitary until the next breeding season. The adult Red Fox has few enemies other than humans and the automobile, but rabies, mange, and distemper are also problems. In the mid-18th century, Red Foxes were imported from England and released in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia by landowners who enjoyed hunting them with hounds. The Red Foxes in most of the U.S. are combined strains derived from the interbreeding of imported foxes with native races, which, encouraged by settlement, gradually expanded their range south from Canada. For years, unregulated trapping and bounty payments took a heavy toll on Red Foxes, but the collapse of the fur industry and the abolishment of most bounty payments have improved matters. With poultry farms made nearly predator-proof, farmers kill fewer foxes as well. The Red Fox in the U.S. may be expanding its range, although competition with the Coyote, which is also spreading farther afield, may have a restraining effect.