The Red Fox
Vulpe Vulpes

The Red Fox is a canid of average size (its length varies from 65 to 75 cm).
It has a long slender muzzle, upright, pointed ears which are black at the back and short legs.
The tail is long (from 35 to 45 cm ) and bushy and usually has a distinctive white tip.
Its pelt is generally a dark rich red although it varies from one fox to another and changes according to the area.
Usually its back varies from a reddish brown to grey and its flanks are lighter.
The stomach area is a grey-white.
The Red Fox is usually darker in winter than in summer.
It is the most widespread of wild carnivores and has a range spanning most of North American and Eurasia.
It can live in a variety of habitats (from sea level up to 3200 metres): it lives mainly in woods but can also be found to be living in open moorlands, mountains and cultivated areas of the countryside.
It is also widespread in cities with extended park areas and gardens.
It is a nocturnal animal but in environments where it is not disturbed it is active even during the day.
In daytime it shelters under bushes, small holes, in dens it has dug itself or in the abandoned burrows of badgers or the crested porcupine.
It feeds on hares, rabbits, rodents, hedgehogs as well as insects, birds, eggs, earthworms, carrion and rubbish.
In summer and autumn it supplements its diet with fruit and berries.
It normally forms groups made up of a male and several females (up to 6) with their cubs.
A hierarchical system exists among the females which confines reproduction to the most powerful females in the hierarchy.
When more than one female gives birth in the group the feeding of cubs is carried out collectively.
The Red Fox’s main enemy is man who has persecuted it from time immemorial.