Red fox

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COMMON NAME: Red fox

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Vulpes vulpes

DESCRIPTION:

Red fox is named for his rusty-red fur coat, but there are other color variations: completely black (black phase), black with silver-tipped hairs (silver phase), or a brown and gray (cross fox).  However, his bushy tail has a white tip in all color phases.  His chin, throat and belly are white; his lower legs and feet are black.  He is 16” tall at the shoulders; 35” -40” long with a 13” -17” tail.  He can weigh 8# -15#.

LIFE HISTORY:

Though fairly common, red fox is shy, secretive, nocturnal and cunning which makes him difficult to observe.  He will elude competitors by circling and backtracking rather than fighting.  He can run at 26 mph.

Life Span is an average of 3 years in the wild and 10 -12 years in captivity.

Reproduction: Mating may take place from January – March.  After 49 - 55 days gestation, an average of 4 -8 pups are born in a maternity den.  Male fox helps provide food for the pups.  At one month of age, the pups begin to play outside the den.  They will go find their own territory when 4 months old. 

ECOLOGY:

Habitat:  Red fox lives in a variety of habitats ranging from woodlands to cultivated areas to brushlands.  There are two populations in California: those above 4,000’ in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and those in lower elevations.  The Sierra red fox is considered a native animal.  The lower elevation fox is considered to be a descendant of the eastern red fox that was introduced in the 1800’s.     

Diet: Classified as a carnivore, red fox is an omnivore.  He will feed on whatever is available: berries, acorns, grasses, birds, mammals, grasshoppers, beetles and crayfish.  He will cache (store) food under the snow or some leaves. 

Ecosystem: Red fox is beneficial, as are other foxes, in rodent control.  A reduction of vegetation can reduce red fox populations due to a reduction in his rodent prey.  He can displace gray fox and is prey to coyote.


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