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Don't Try to Outfox the Red Fox

Fall 1999 Newsletter

With keen eyes and ears, the red fox follows the faint sounds of a tiny vole as it moves through the grass.

Suddenly the fox leaps into the air and pounces on its hapless victim. A quick bite and it's all over. What looks like a frolic is in fact deadly serious work.

A red fox can easily hear the movements of voles or mice, even if they are beneath a foot of snow. The fox stands utterly still, listening intently, then makes it's hallmark jackknife leap, bringing its front paws down on its prey's back.

The British colonists of North America preferred red foxes to many indigenous species, including the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) which, with its tree-climbing ability and secretive, nocturnal habits, was not much fun to hunt.

Red foxes were already found in North America but not in great numbers.

As the settlers were routing wolves and cougars from the countryside, they imported red foxes from Europe so they would have an ample supply of sporting animals at hand. With the felling of the eastern forests, the imported foxes spread into the open farmland which is their preferred habitat.

Now the red fox is at home throughout Canada, Alaska, almost all of the contiguous US, as well as all of Europe and Britain and most of Asia including Japan. There are also several populations in North Africa. Red foxes were introduced into Australia in the nineteenth century.

Some authors consider the Old World (Vulpes vulpes) and New World (Vulpes fulva) red foxes to be the same species. In the far north the red fox gives way to the arctic fox (Alopex lagopus). Two other species, the swift fox (Vulpes velox) and the kit fox (Vulpes macrotis) inhabit the desert regions of the U.S. west.

Weighing in at just 10 to 15 lbs. the red fox has a slender, tapering muzzle, pointed ears, and a long luxurious bushy tail. The females are called vixens. Like many other canids, both sexes have tail glands which aid in scent marking their territory.

The eyes of mature animals are yellow, the nose is dark brown or black and strong jaws and teeth aid in the crushing of prey. Coloration of red foxes ranges from pale yellowishred to deep reddish brown on the upper parts and white, ashy or slaty on the underside.

The lower part of the legs is usually black and the tail has a white tip. Two color variants commonly occur. The 'cross fox' has reddish brown fur and has a black stripe down its back and another across its shoulders.

The 'silver fox' ranges from strong silver to nearly black and is the most prized by furriers. Red Foxes are not protected and are routinely trapped in the winter months, when the fur is thickest. They are also farmed for their pelts.

The red fox is essentially an omnivore, eating mostly rodents, rabbits, insects and fruit. They will also eat carrion. In some areas of the US they prey on aquatic birds, a habit that has gotten the red fox into trouble with wildlife officials.

Where fox predation has caused the dramatic decline of endangered species, trapping the offending animals has been used to limit damage. In the San Francisco Bay area, the introduced red fox is being trapped to save the California clapper rail and least tern, but not without controversy.

Although they are highly successful at living in disturbed habitat (even within city limits), red foxes are unusually high strung, making them difficult to observe. They are most active at night, early morning and late evening, but can sometimes be seen during the day. If you chance upon a fox, keeping absolutely still may provide you with a rare glimpse of this fascinating animal. They are non aggressive, solitary animals and do not form packs like wolves.

Individual adults have home ranges that vary in size depending on the quality of the habitat. Ranges are occupied by an adult male and one or two adult females with their associated young.

Individuals and family groups have main earthen dens as well as other emergency burrows in the home range. Dens of other animals are often taken over by foxes and larger dens may be dug and used during the winter and during birth and rearing of the young.

The same den is often used over a number of generations. Through-out the home range pathways connect the main den with other resting sites, favored hunting grounds, and food storage areas.

Breeding time varies across the broad geographic range of the species: December-January in the south, January-February in the central regions (including our area), and February-April in the north.

Males will fight during the breeding season. Females may mate with a number of males but will establish a partnership with only one male.

After breeding, the mated pair are inseparable and search the country side for a suitable den in which the vixen beds down to give birth, usually to four young. Just before, and for a time after giving birth, the female remains in or around the den.

The male partner will bring food to his mate but does not go into the maternity den. The pups are born blind but open their eyes nine to 14 days after birth. Pups leave the den four or five weeks after birth and are fully weaned by eight to ten weeks. Lactation is supplemented with regurgitated meat, and later with dead game.

Finally, live game is provided to teach the cubs vital hunting skills. In the autumn following birth, the pups of the litter will disperse to their own territories but remain in the same home range for life.

Red foxes are considered by many to be poultry thieves but the magnitude of the threat is no doubt exaggerated. Red foxes are susceptible to a variety of diseases, including rabies, distemper, and infectious canine hepatitis.

Few foxes live beyond the age of three of four years, particularly in areas where they are hunted and trapped heavily. Man and domestic dogs comprise the major threat to foxes, although pups may be lost to great horned owls and other predators.

—Rickie Rachuy