A fox native to Europe (Vulpes vulpes), temperate Asia, N Africa, and North America (introduced in Australia); usually red-brown with white underparts (red fox); sometimes black (black fox), silvery grey (silver fox), or with a black cross on the back (cross fox).
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iRed Fox Conservation status: Least concern |
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Vulpes vulpes Linnaeus, 1758 |
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Vulpes fulva, Vulpes fulvus |
The Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the most familiar of the foxes.
Distribution
The largest species within the genus Vulpes, the Red Fox has a native range spanning most of North America and Eurasia, with several populations in North Africa. The Red Fox has been introduced to Australia, where it poses a serious conservation problem.
Three subspecies of Red Fox are found in India: Vulpes vulpes montana (the Tibetan Fox), found in Ladakh and the Himalayas, Vulpes vulpes griffithi (the Kashmir Fox) found in Jammu and Kashmir less the Ladakh sector, and Vulpes vulpes pusilla (the Desert Fox) found in the Thar desert of Rajasthan and in Kutch, Gujarat.
Physical description
The Red Fox is most commonly a rusty red, with white underbelly, black ear tips and legs, and a bushy tail with a distinctive white tip.
The fox's eyes are gold to yellow and have distinctive vertically slit pupils, similar to those of a feline. They can see just as well too, and combined with their extreme agility for a canid the Red Fox has been referred to as "the cat-like canid".
The Red Fox may reach an adult weight of 2.7-6.8 kg (6-15 lb), but this varies from region to region;
During the autumn and winter, the Red Fox will grow more fur.
Habitat and diet
The Red Fox is found in a variety of biomes, from prairies and scrubland to forest settings. The Red Fox has also become a familiar sight in suburban and even urban environments both in Europe and in North America, where it shares territory with the much maligned raccoon.
The Red Fox eats rodents, insects, fruits, worms, eggs, mice, birds, and other small animals.
Behaviour
Living as it does in a wide variety of habitats, the Red Fox displays a wide variety of behaviours. In Biology and Conservation of Wild Canids, MacDonald and Sillero-Zubiri state that two populations of the Red Fox may be behaviorally as different as two species.
The Red Fox is primarily crepuscular with a tendency to becoming nocturnal in areas of great human interference (and artificial lighting);
In general, each fox claims its own territory; One fox may only need a square kilometre of land marked by recognition posts that are special smells that come from a scent gland located just above a fox's tail.
The Red Fox has been considered a monogamous species, however evidence for polygamy (polygyny and polyandry) includes males’ extra territorial movements during breeding season (possibly searching for additional mates) and males’ home ranges overlapping two or more females’ home ranges.
The Red Fox primarily forms monogamous pairs each winter, which cooperate to raise a litter of 4–6 kits (also called pups) each year;
Socially, the fox communicates with body language and a variety of vocalizations.
Reproduction
The Red Fox breeding period varies widely due to its broad distribution;
In autumn of the same year, the young foxes will disperse and claim their own territories. The Red Fox reaches sexual maturity by 10 months of age, and may live for 12 years in captivity but usually live 3 years in the wild.
Foxes and humans
The Red Fox has both positive and negative standing with humans, often being loved or hated.
Like other wild animals, foxes are considered vectors of disease. The Red Fox helps farmers by preying on animals that damage crops but are considered to be a pest by farmers involved in poultry farming. The Red Fox is of some importance in the fur industry.
Greater visibility in nature documentaries and sympathetic portrayals in fiction have improved the Red Fox's reputation and appeal in recent years.
Conservation problems of feral foxes in Australia
Feral foxes in Australia pose a serious conservation problem. According to the Australian Government, the Red Fox was introduced to Australia for hunting in 1855, but has since become wide-spread, and is considered responsible for the decline in a number of species of native animals. In a program known as Western Shield, Western Australia state government authorities conduct aerial and hand baiting on almost 35,000 km² (8.75 million acres) to control foxes and feral cats.
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