Red foxes measure in total length from about 39 to 41 inches and weigh between 10 and 15 pounds. The red fox is a quick, skillful hunter, feeding on a wide variety of foods. Mice are often eaten, especially during the winter months and cottontail rabbits are also an important part of their diet. During the warmer months, red foxes feed on various plants and insects. They remain active throughout the year but are primarily nocturnal, only occasionally coming out during the daylight hours.
Red foxes have the reputation of being cunning, but shy.
Like most other members of the wild dog family, they seem to be quite intelligent and are very adaptable, often learning to live quite close to humans. The males and females pair for life, usually breeding in late winter. Red foxes dig a den or often utilize an abandoned groundhog burrow or other similar location to raise their young. The young foxes, averaging 4 or 5 in number, are born after a gestation period of 52 days. Both of the parents help to care for the pups, although the male provides most of the food for both the pups and the female until the pups are old enough to stay alone for short periods of time.