Red fox

Males are called tods or dogs, females are called vixens, and young are known as cubs or kits. Although the Arctic fox has a small native population in northern Scandinavia, and while the corsac fox's range extends into European Russia, the red fox is the only fox native to Western Europe. For this reason, it is simply called "the fox" in colloquial British English. ==Etymology==

The word "fox" comes from Old English, which in turn derived from Proto-Germanic *fuhsaz. Compare with West Frisian foks, Dutch , and German ''. This, in turn, derives from Proto-Indo-European *puḱ-'' 'thick-haired; tail'. Compare to the Hindi pū̃ch 'tail', Tocharian B päkā 'tail; chowrie', and Lithuanian '''' 'fur / fluff'. The fox's bushy tail also forms the basis for its Welsh name, '''', literally 'bushy', from '''' 'bush'. Likewise, from rabo 'tail', Lithuanian '' from uodegà'' 'tail', and Ojibwe waagosh from waa, which refers to the up and down "bounce" or flickering of an animal or its tail. The scientific term vulpes derives from the Latin word for fox, and gives the adjectives vulpine and vulpecular. ==Evolutionary history==

The red fox is considered to be a more specialised form of Vulpes than the Afghan, corsac and Bengal fox species in terms of their overall size and adaptation to carnivory; the skull displays far fewer neotenous traits than those of other foxes, and the facial area is more developed. Such a nesting of one species within another is called paraphyly. Several hypotheses have been suggested to explain this, including (1) recent divergence of Rüppell's fox from a red fox lineage, (2) incomplete lineage sorting, or introgression of mtDNA between the two species. Based on the fossil record, the last scenario seems the most likely. This is further supported by the clear ecological and morphological differences between the two species. Origins The species is Eurasian in origin, and may have evolved from either Vulpes alopecoides or the related Chinese V. chikushanensis, both of which lived during the Middle Villafranchian of the Pleistocene Epoch. The earliest fossil specimens of V. vulpes were uncovered in Baranya County, Hungary, dating from 3.4 to 1.8 million years ago. The ancestral red fox was likely more diminutive compared to today's extant foxes, as the earliest red fox fossils have shown a smaller build than living specimens. found in association with middens and refuse left by early human settlements. This has led to the theory that the red fox was hunted by primitive humans (as both a source of food and pelts); the possibility also exists of red foxes scavenging from middens or butchered animal carcasses. Colonisation of North America Red foxes colonised the North American continent in two waves: before and during the Illinoian glaciation, and during the Wisconsinan glaciation. In the far north, red fox fossils have been found in Sangamonian Stage deposits near the Fairbanks District, Alaska, and Medicine Hat, Alberta. Fossils dating from the Wisconsinan are present in 25 sites across Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming. Although they ranged far south during the Wisconsinan, the onset of warm conditions shrank their range toward the north, and they have only recently reclaimed their former North American ranges because of human-induced environmental changes. Genetic testing indicates that two distinct red fox refugia exist in North America, which have been separated since the Wisconsinan. The northern (or boreal) refugium occurs in Alaska and western Canada, and consists of the larger subspecies V. v. alascensis, V. v. abietorum, V. v. regalis, and V. v. rubricosa. The southern (or montane) refugium occurs in the subalpine parklands and alpine meadows of the west, from the Rocky Mountains to the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada ranges, consisting of the smaller subspecies V. v. cascadensis, V. v. macroura, V. v. necator, and V. v. patwin. The latter clade has been isolated from all other red fox populations since at least the last glacial maximum and may have developed unique ecological or physiological adaptations. Although European foxes (V. v. crucigera) were introduced to parts of the United States in the 1900s, recent genetic research suggests that there are no European fox mitochondrial haplotypes present in any North American populations. Additionally, introduced eastern North American red foxes have colonised most of inland California, from Southern California to the San Joaquin Valley, Monterey and north-coastal San Francisco Bay Area (including urban San Francisco and adjacent cities). In spite of the red fox's adaptability to city life, they are still found in somewhat greater numbers in the northern portions of California (north of the Bay Area) than in the south, as the wilderness is more alpine and isolated. The eastern red foxes appear to have mixed with the Sacramento Valley red fox (V. v. patwin) only in a narrow hybrid zone. In addition, no evidence is seen of interbreeding of eastern American red foxes in California with the montane Sierra Nevada red fox (V. v. necator) or other populations in the Intermountain West (between the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada Mountains to the west). Subspecies The third edition of Mammal Species of the World listed 45 subspecies as valid. In 2010, a distinct 46th subspecies, the Sacramento Valley red fox (V. v. patwin), which inhabits the grasslands of the Sacramento Valley, was identified through mitochondrial haplotype studies. Castello (2018) recognized 30 subspecies of the Old World red fox and nine subspecies of the North American red fox as valid. It is known that substantial gene pool mixing occurs between different subspecies. For example, British red foxes have crossbred extensively with red foxes imported from Germany, France, Belgium, Sardinia and possibly Siberia and Scandinavia. However, genetic studies suggest very little differences between red foxes sampled across Europe. Lack of genetic diversity is consistent with the red fox being a highly agile species, with one red fox covering in under a year's time. Red fox subspecies in Eurasia and North Africa are divided into two categories: • are large and brightly coloured. • include the Asian subspecies V. v. griffithi, V. v. pusilla, and V. v. flavescens. These foxes display transitional features between the northern foxes and other, smaller fox species; their skulls possess more primitive, neotenous traits than the northern foxes and they are much smaller; the maximum sizes attained by southern grey desert foxes are invariably less than the average sizes of northern foxes. Their limbs are also longer and their ears larger. Red foxes living in Middle Asia show physical traits intermediate to the northern foxes and southern grey desert foxes. File:Redfoxskull.jpg|Skull of a northern fox File:Vpusillaskull.jpg|Skull of a southern grey desert fox ==Description==

Build (right) yawning The red fox has an elongated body and relatively short limbs. The tail, which is longer than half the body length is fluffy and reaches the ground when in a standing position. Their pupils are oval and vertically oriented. Vixens normally have four pairs of teats, However, relative to their size, red foxes are much lighter than similarly sized dogs in the genus Canis. For example, their limb bones weigh 30 percent less per unit area of bone than expected for similarly sized dogs. They display significant individual, sexual, age and geographical variation in size. On average, adults measure high at the shoulder and in body length with tails measuring . The ears measure and the hind feet . Weights range from , with vixens typically weighing 15–20% less than tods. Adult red foxes have skulls measuring , while those of vixens measure . The largest red fox on record in Great Britain was a long male, that weighed , killed in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in early 2012. Fur The winter fur is dense, soft, silky and relatively long. For the northern foxes, the fur is very long, dense and fluffy, but it is shorter, sparser and coarser in southern forms. Among northern foxes, the North American varieties generally have the silkiest guard hairs, There are three main colour morphs; red, silver/black and cross (see Mutations). The size and volume of the anal sacs increases with age, ranging in size from 5–40mm in length, 1–3mm in diameter, and with a capacity of 1–5 mL. The anal sacs act as fermentation chambers in which aerobic and anaerobic bacteria convert sebum into odorous compounds, including aliphatic acids. The oval-shaped caudal gland is long and wide, and reportedly smells of violets. The presence of foot glands is equivocal. The interdigital cavities are deep, with a reddish tinge and smell strongly. Sebaceous glands are present on the angle of the jaw and mandible. ==Distribution and habitat==

The red fox is a widespread species. Its range covers nearly , extending as far north as the Arctic Circle. It is found throughout Europe, in Africa north of the Sahara Desert, throughout Asia apart from extreme Southeast Asia, and across North America apart from most of the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is absent from the Arctic islands, the most northerly parts of central Siberia, and in extreme deserts. Australia In Australia, estimates in 2012 indicated that there were more than 7.2 million red foxes, with a range extending throughout most of the continental mainland. On the mainland, however, the species was successful as an apex predator. The fox is generally less common in areas where the dingo is more prevalent, but it has achieved niche differentiation with both the feral dog and the feral cat, primarily through its burrowing behaviour. Consequently, the fox has become one of the continent's most destructive invasive species. The red fox has been implicated in the extinction or decline of several native Australian species, particularly those of the family Potoroidae, including the desert rat-kangaroo. The spread of red foxes across the southern part of the continent has coincided with the spread of rabbits in Australia, and corresponds with declines in the distribution of several medium-sized ground-dwelling mammals, including brush-tailed bettongs, burrowing bettongs, rufous bettongs, bilbies, numbats, bridled nail-tail wallabies and quokkas. Most of those species are now limited to areas (such as islands) where red foxes are absent or rare. Local fox eradication programs exist, although elimination has proven difficult due to the fox's denning behaviour and nocturnal hunting, so the focus is on management, including the introduction of state bounties. According to the Tasmanian government, red foxes were accidentally introduced to the previously fox-free island of Tasmania in 1999 or 2000, posing a significant threat to native wildlife, including the eastern bettong, and an eradication program was initiated, conducted by the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water. Sardinia, Italy and Italian wolf The origin of the ichnusae subspecies in Sardinia, Italy is uncertain, as it is absent from Pleistocene deposits in their current homeland. It is possible it originated during the Neolithic following its introduction to the island by humans. It is likely then that Sardinian fox populations stem from repeated introductions of animals from different localities in the Mediterranean. This latter theory may explain the subspecies' phenotypic diversity. ==Behaviour and ecology==

Social and territorial behaviour Red foxes either establish stable home ranges within particular areas or are itinerant with no fixed abode. A male fox raises one of his hind legs, spraying his urine forward in front of him. In contrast, a female fox squats down, spraying her urine onto the ground between her hind legs. Urine is also used to mark empty cache sites where found food is stored. This serves as a reminder not to waste time investigating them. Males generally have higher urine marking rates during late summer and autumn, but the rest of the year the rates between male and female are similar. The use of up to 12 different urination postures allows them to precisely control the position of the scent mark. Red foxes live in family groups that share a territory. In favourable habitats and/or areas with low hunting pressure, a range of subordinate foxes may be present. There may be one or two subordinate foxes, or sometimes up to eight, in one territory. These subordinates may formerly have been dominant animals, but they are mostly young from the previous year and act as helpers in rearing the breeding vixen's kits. Alternatively, their presence has been explained as a response to temporary food surpluses unrelated to assisting reproductive success. Non-breeding vixens guard, play with, groom, provision and retrieve kits, DNA evidence from one population indicated large levels of polygyny, incest and mixed paternity litters. Communication The body language of red foxes consists of movements of the ears and tail, as well as postures. Their body markings emphasise certain gestures. These postures can be categorised as either aggressive/dominant or fearful/submissive. Some postures may blend the two together. It consumes over 300 animal species including small rodents like mice, ground squirrels, hamsters, gerbils, woodchucks, muskrats, voles, pocket gophers, deer mice, leporids, porcupines, raccoons, opossums, birds with passeriformes, galliformes and waterfowl predominating, reptiles, insects and invertebrates. It occasionally commits acts of surplus killing; during one breeding season, four red foxes were recorded to have killed around 200 black-headed gulls each, with peaks during dark, windy hours when flying conditions were unfavourable. Losses to poultry and penned game birds can be substantial because of this. Camera traps at an Australian rookery documented red foxes preying on flatback sea turtle eggs. The behavior of red foxes hunting wolf cubs was documented in Italy in 2025. Visual cues are the most important ones for the hunting behaviour of the red fox. It prefers to hunt in the early morning hours before sunrise and late evening. It typically forages alone, but occasionally aggregates in resource-rich environments. When hunting mouse-like prey, it first pinpoints the prey's location by sound, then leap, sailing high above the quarry, steering in mid-air with its tail before landing on target up to away. In Israel, the Blanford's fox escapes competition with the red fox by being restricted to rocky cliffs and actively avoiding the open plains inhabited by the red fox. In North America where the red fox and coyote are sympatric, their home ranges do not overlap, and interactions between the two species vary in nature, ranging from active antagonism to indifference. The majority of aggressive encounters are initiated by coyotes, and there are few reports of red foxes acting aggressively toward coyotes except when attacked or when their kits were approached. Foxes and coyotes have sometimes been seen feeding together. In Israel, the red fox shares habitat with the golden jackal, and where their ranges meet, they compete due to near-identical diets. The red fox ignores golden jackal scents or tracks and avoids close physical proximity; in areas where the golden jackal is abundant, the red fox population decreases significantly, apparently because of competitive exclusion. However, multiple red foxes interacting peacefully with a golden jackal have been observed in southwestern Germany. feeding on a red fox The red fox is dominant over the raccoon dog and will sometimes kill its kits or bite adults to death. There are documented cases of red foxes killing raccoon dogs by entering their dens. Both species compete for prey similar in size to mice. This competition peaks in early spring when food is scarce. In Tatarstan, red fox predation accounted for 11.1% of deaths among 54 raccoon dogs and amounted to 14.3% of 186 raccoon dog deaths in northwestern Russia. pine marten, stoat, Siberian weasel, European polecat and young sables. Eurasian badgers may live alongside red foxes in isolated sections of large burrows. The golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) regularly takes young red foxes and preys on adults if needed. Other large eagles such as the wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax), eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca), white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and steller's sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) occasionally kill red foxes. Large owls such as the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) and snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) prey on young foxes and adults on occasions. Diseases and parasites Red foxes are the most important rabies vector in Europe. In London, arthritis is common in foxes, being particularly frequent in the spine. and Crenosoma vulpis; the latter two infect their lungs and trachea. Capillaria plica infects the red fox's bladder. Trichinella spiralis rarely affects them. The most common tapeworm species in red foxes are Taenia spiralis and T. pisiformis. Others include Echinococcus granulosus and E. multilocularis. Eleven trematode species infect red foxes, A red fox from was found to be a host of intestinal parasitic acanthocephalan worms, Pachysentis canicola in Bushehr Province, Iran, Pachysentis procumbens and Pachysentis ehrenbergi in both in Egypt. ==Relationships with humans==

In folklore, religion and mythology The red fox features prominently in the folklore and mythology. In Greek mythology, the Teumessian fox, or Cadmean vixen, was a gigantic fox that was destined never to be caught. The fox was one of the children of Echidna. In Celtic mythology, the red fox is a symbolic animal. In the Cotswolds, witches were thought to transform into foxes in order to steal butter from their neighbours. In later European folklore, the figure of Reynard the Fox symbolises trickery and deceit. He first appeared as a secondary character under the name of "Reinardus" in the 1150 poem "Ysengrimus", and then in Pierre Saint Cloud's Le Roman de Renart in 1175. He made his debut in England in Geoffrey Chaucer's ''The Nun's Priest's Tale''. Many of Reynard's adventures may stem from actual observations of fox behaviour: he is an enemy of the wolf and has a fondness for blackberries and grapes. In Japanese mythology, the kitsune are fox-like spirits possessing magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. Foremost among these is the ability to disguise as human. While some folktales speak of kitsune employing this ability to trick others, other stories portray them as faithful guardians, friends, lovers and wives. In Arab folklore, the fox is considered a cowardly, weak, deceitful and cunning animal that feigns death by filling its abdomen with air to appear bloated, then lies on its side, awaiting the approach of unwitting prey. The cunning Fox is a common character in native American mythology, where it is often portrayed as a constant companion to Coyote. Fox, however, is a deceitful companion who often steals Coyote's food. In the Achomawi creation myth, Fox and Coyote are the co-creators of the world, that leave just before the arrival of humans. The Yurok tribe believed that in a fit of anger, Fox captured the Sun and tied him to a hill, causing him to burn a great hole in the ground. In an Inuit story, Fox is portrayed as a beautiful woman who tricks a hunter into marrying her, only to resume her true form and leave after he offends her. A Menominee story tells of how Fox is an untrustworthy friend to Wolf. Hunting The earliest historical records of fox hunting date back to the 4th century BC; Alexander the Great is known to have hunted foxes, and a seal dated from 350 BC depicts a Persian horseman in the process of spearing a fox. Xenophon, who believed that hunting was part of a cultured man's education, promoted killing foxes as pests because they distracted hounds from hares. The Romans were hunting foxes by AD 80. During the Dark Ages in Europe, foxes were considered a secondary quarry, but gradually grew in importance. Cnut the Great reclassified foxes as Beasts of the Chase, which was a lower category of quarry than Beasts of Venery. Foxes were gradually hunted less as vermin and more as Beasts of the Chase, to the point that by the late 1200s, Edward I had a royal pack of foxhounds and a specialised fox huntsman. In this period, foxes were increasingly hunted above ground with hounds, rather than underground with terriers. Edward, Second Duke of York assisted the climb of foxes as more prestigious quarries in his The Master of Game. By the Renaissance, fox hunting became a traditional sport of the nobility. After the English Civil War caused a drop in deer populations, fox hunting grew in popularity. By the mid-1600s, Great Britain was divided into fox hunting territories, with the first fox hunting clubs being formed (the first was the Charlton Hunt Club in 1737). The popularity of fox hunting in Great Britain reached a peak during the 1700s. These American fox hunters considered the red fox more sporting than the grey fox. New Mexico (US) 69 (1999–2000). Red foxes in North America, particularly those in northern Alaska, are highly valued for their fur. They have guard hairs with a silky texture that allows unrestricted mobility after dressing. However, red foxes living in southern Alaska's coastal areas and the Aleutian Islands are an exception, as their pelts are extremely coarse and rarely fetch more than a third of the price of those from northern Alaska. Many supposedly abandoned kits are adopted by well-meaning people in spring, although it is unlikely that vixens would abandon their young. Actual orphans are rare, and those that are adopted are probably just kits that have strayed from their dens. Kits require almost constant supervision; when still suckling, they require milk at four-hour intervals day and night. Once weaned, they may become destructive to leather objects, furniture and electric cables. Urban red foxes Distribution Red foxes have been extremely successful in colonising built-up environments, particularly lower-density suburbs, Urban red foxes are most common in residential suburbs consisting of privately owned, low-density housing. They are rare in areas where industry, commerce or council-rented houses predominate. In the UK, it is estimated that the number of urban foxes rose from 33,000 in 1995 to 150,000 foxes in 2017. City-dwelling red foxes may scavenge food from litter bins and bin bags: research in 2025 suggests that human-generated food comprises 35% of urban fox diet, compared to just 6% for their rural counterparts. As a result of this difference in diet between urban and rural populations, city-dwelling red foxes tend to grow larger than their rural counterparts. It has been observed that urban foxes tend to have shorter and wider muzzles, smaller braincases and reduced sexual dimorphism relative to rural individuals: this is thought to be as a result of differing biomechanical demands of feeding or cognition between habitats. Behaviour Urban red foxes are most active at dusk and dawn, when they do most of their hunting and scavenging. They are rarely seen during the day, but can sometimes be spotted sunbathing on the roofs of houses or sheds. They will often make their homes in hidden, undisturbed spots in urban areas, as well as on the outskirts of cities, visiting at night to find food. They sleep in dens at night. While urban red foxes can scavenge successfully in cities, eating anything that humans eat, some people deliberately leave food out for them, finding them endearing. Doing this regularly can attract red foxes to one's home, where they can become accustomed to human presence. They may even allow themselves to be approached or played with, particularly the young kits. However, killing red foxes has little effect on their urban population; the foxes that are killed are quickly replaced by new kits during the breeding season or by other foxes moving into the territory of those that were killed. A more effective method of controlling red foxes in urban areas is to deter them from specific areas. Deterrents such as creosote, diesel oil or ammonia can be used for this purpose. Cleaning up and blocking access to dens can also discourage red foxes from returning to urban areas. File:Red fox crossing road.jpg|An urban red fox crossing a city street in Denver, Colorado File:Urban fox at night.webm|An urban red fox in a built-up area in London, England File:Fox with food bag.jpg|An urban red fox eating from a bag of biscuits in Dorset, England File:Fleet Fox AKA Rolf, Winterwatch Brighton.png|"Fleet", the urban red fox from the BBC TV series Winterwatch ==References==