Red foxes are clever, quick animals with fluffy tails and pointy ears. They live in forests, fields and even cities, and they can hear a mouse squeak from far away. Let's trot into some fun red fox facts!
🦊 Red Fox quick facts
- Animal type
- Mammal
- Home
- Forests, grasslands, mountains, deserts and cities across North America, Europe, Asia and North Africa
- Food
- Mice, rabbits, birds, insects, fruit and berries
- Size
- About 3 to 4 feet (0.9 to 1.2 m) long, including the tail
- Life span
- About 2 to 5 years in the wild
25 Red Fox Facts for Kids
- Red foxes live in more places around the world than almost any other wild meat-eating mammal.
- Foxes are part of the dog family, along with wolves and coyotes.
- Red foxes aren't always red. Some are black, silver or a mix called 'cross' foxes.
- Most red foxes have a white tip on their bushy tails.
- A fox's tail is called a brush.
- Foxes wrap their fluffy tails around themselves like a blanket to stay warm.
- A male fox is called a dog or a tod, and a female is called a vixen.
- Baby foxes are called kits, cubs or pups.
- Fox families live in dens, which are often underground burrows.
- Red foxes have amazing hearing and can hear small animals moving under the snow.
- In winter, foxes leap high into the air and pounce headfirst into the snow to catch mice.
- Scientists think foxes may use Earth's magnetic field to aim their pounces.
- Foxes are omnivores, so they eat both animals and plants.
- Red foxes eat mice, rabbits, birds, insects, fruit and berries.
- Foxes sometimes bury extra food to eat later. This is called caching.
- Foxes have whiskers on their faces and legs to help them feel their way.
- Red foxes can run about 30 miles per hour (48 km/h).
- Foxes make lots of sounds, including barks, yips and even screams.
- Foxes have vertical, slit-shaped pupils, a bit like a cat's.
- Red foxes are mostly active at dusk, at night and at dawn.
- Many red foxes have learned to live in big cities, like London.
- Foxes usually hunt alone instead of in packs.
- Fox parents both help raise their kits.
- Fox kits start exploring outside the den when they are about a month old.
- The arctic fox is a cousin of the red fox that turns white in winter.
Questions kids ask about red foxes
What do red foxes eat?
Red foxes are omnivores. They eat mice, voles, rabbits, birds and insects, plus fruit and berries.
Are foxes dogs or cats?
Foxes belong to the dog family, but they have some cat-like habits, like pouncing on prey and having slit-shaped pupils.
What is a baby fox called?
A baby fox is called a kit, cub or pup.
Why do foxes jump into the snow?
Foxes hear mice moving under the snow, then leap high and dive headfirst to catch them. This is called mousing.
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