Dining and Dwelling
The red fox is an omnivore with a highly varied and seasonal diet, they are scavengers and opportunistic hunters. They prefer a more carnivorous diet consisting of small rodents, frogs, insects, birds and snakes. A fox will supplement this diet with fruits, nuts, and grasses. The red fox utilize a wide variety of habitats such as mixed croplands, pastures, meadowlands, forest clearings and tundra.
|
|
Life and Death
Predators of the red fox include wolf, lynx, bobcat, coyote and large birds of prey will take the young. They are susceptable to mange, which when severe can kill young foxes. They can also suffer from outbreaks of distemper and rabies. The mating season of the red fox ranges from late December through to late March, and the kits are born 51-54 days later. Anywhere from 1-10 kits(usually 5) are born. In late September the family starts to disperse, and the young are capable of mating their first winter.
|
That's Amazing
- Red foxes are the main carriers of rabies in eastern North America.
- Red Foxes always have a white-tipped tail, but they do come in three colours:
1. Red fox, orange (most common).
2. Cross fox, which is orange/brown with greyish brown markings across the shoulders and down the back.
3. Silver fox, which is black with frosted tips of hair all over the body, with a white tipped tail.
|
