Red fox

The **red fox** (_Vulpes vulpes_) is a mammal of the order Carnivora. It is the biggest and most well-known species of fox. Red foxes are sometimes hunted for sport, or killed as pests or carriers of rabies.

## Description

Red foxes have long legs, pointed triangular black ears, a pointed snout, and a long bushy tail.

Foxes also communicate with each other by urinating on trees or rocks, like dogs sometimes do. Its back, sides, and head are usually covered with reddish-brown fur, and its neck and chest are covered with white fur. The tail tip of a red fox is white. Its legs and paws are normally black.

## Hunting behavior, diet and predators

Red foxes hunt alone. Red foxes are omnivores. They feed on mice, squirrels, birds, rabbits, hares, and other small animals. However, they will also eat fruit, vegetables, fish, frogs, lizards, eggs, insects, and worms. The red fox will continue to hunt even when it is full. It stores leftover food to eat later. When they are raised by humans domestically, they can also eat pet food. Red Foxes hunt mostly at night, sunset, and dawn.

When prey has been detected, the fox crouches low to the ground and moves towards it, while attempting to minimize any noise or visual warnings.  During the approach, the fox´s eyes remain on its prey. A chase starts once the fox has been seen. the prey escaping through dense bushes, or in the fox disabling it by biting it in the legs.

Red foxes have a few natural predators. Their predators are wolves, coyotes, bears, cougars, and lynxes, while eagles, hawks, owls, and badgers are predators of red fox kits, although eagles can kill adult foxes. Humans are the worst enemies of foxes as humans kill foxes for their fur.

## Mating

Red foxes usually mate in the winter. The vixen (female fox) normally gives birth to a litter of 2 to 12 pups. When red foxes are born, they are brown or gray. Although a new red coat usually grows in one month, some red foxes have other colored coats such as golden, reddish-brown, silver, or even black. The mother of the pups, after she weens them, feeds them at first by regurgitating food into their mouths.

## Sleep

Foxes generally do not sleep in dens unless they are females who are giving birth to or raising cubs. Female foxes seek out dens made by other animals, like rabbits or badgers, but will dig their own den if necessary. Foxes in the wild curl up in a ball out in the open to sleep, keeping warm by covering themselves with their bushy tails. Foxes who live in urban areas may sleep under structures such as sheds.

## Habitat

It is native to America, Asia, and Europe. They were later brought to Australia.

### Foxes in Australia

There are about 1.7 million foxes in Australia. Early settlers brought red foxes to Australia in the 19th century, because they wanted to hunt the foxes as a sport. In the next 100 years, foxes spread across Australia and became an invasive species. Red foxes kill hundreds of millions of animals in Australia every year, which strongly hurts the continent's biodiversity. Currently, there are efforts to reduce the fox population.

## Other websites

http://animals.mom.me/foxes-sleep-7359.html

http://mynarskiforest.purrsia.com/ev6rhunt.htm

http://www.onekind.org/be_inspired/animals_a_z/fox_red/