The red fox is the most widespread wild carnivore in the world. It is found
in Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and the Arctic. Red foxes can
adapt to a variety of habitats. In Britain, they live in woodland, open
countryside and urban areas.
The red fox is a member of the dog family, as are wolves, coyotes and
jackals. A red fox usually has reddish-brown fur but sometimes its coat is
black or silver. Its bushy red tail is tipped with white fur and is known as
a brush.
These carnivorous mammals will eat almost anything. Their diet depends on
where they live. Foxes from the countryside eat rabbits, hares, field voles
and berries, while those in the city will scavenge from bird tables and
dustbins. Foxes will also eat beetles, earthworms, birds' eggs and fallen
fruit.
They breed in late winter or early spring. A fox’s den is called an
earth, and the female (vixen) will find a suitable spot in an old animal
burrow or under a garden shed for her cubs to be born. A litter of 4-8 cubs
is born in March. The newborn cubs weigh about 100 grams each, have
chocolate-brown fur, are blind and deaf and can't walk. Their mother must
stay with them to keep them warm and to wash and groom them, so the male fox
(dog) brings food back for her to eat.
When a fox cub is about four weeks old its blue eyes change to amber and
its coat starts to turn red. It stays with its family group for about six
months before it becomes fully independent.
