The red fox or Vulpes Vulpes is a medium sized canine creature weighing about six to twenty four pounds and their length can be anywhere from thirty inches to fifty five inches. Males are typically larger than females. The red fox has an orange coat that can vary in brightness from a light orange to dark orange. According to the University of Minnesota Duluth, “Red foxes have white tail tips, throats, and underfur, while gray foxes have black tail tips and yellow or orange coloration on a white throat/underfur…A few red foxes are black or silver in coloration, which reflects normal genetic variation within the species”(https://www.nrri.umn.edu/carnivores-minnesota/species/redfox)Their tails are also bushy, similar to a coyote.
This image from University of Minnesota Duluth clearly shows the white chest, jaw, and white tip of the tail. (https://www.nrri.umn.edu/carnivores-minnesota/species/redfox)
They live two to five years in the wild and close to twenty years in captivity. Red foxes are omnivores and according to National Geographic, “Red foxes are solitary hunters who feed on rodents, rabbits, birds, and other small game—but their diet can be as flexible as their home habitat. Foxes will eat fruit and vegetables, fish, frogs, and even worms. If living among humans, foxes will opportunistically dine on garbage and pet food” (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/r/red-fox/). The red fox is native to north america and can be spotted in ohio, as well as its close relative the grey fox or Urocyon cinereoargenteus. The University of Minnesota Duluth states, “In North America, red fox can be found from the Arctic Circle to the southeastern United States, with more limited distribution in the western United States” (https://www.nrri.umn.edu/carnivores-minnesota/species/redfox)
Here is a map of the range of the red fox according to NatureWorks NH PBS (http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/redfox.htm)
The red fox territory can be anywhere between one to three square miles, however in prime hunting conditions the red fox may stay in a one mile radius. Even though the red fox is a solitary hunter, they still do communicate with one another using their tail, “as a signal flag to communicate with other foxes” and “Foxes also signal each other by making scent posts—urinating on trees or rocks to announce their presence” (ttps://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/r/red-fox/).
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