Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
MammalCanidOmnivore
A red fox in a mountain meadow at Skalnaté Pleso, in Slovakia's High Tatras.
Image: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Overview
The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the largest of the Vulpes foxes and has the widest distribution of any canid, found across much of the Northern Hemisphere and introduced to Australia and the Falkland Islands.
Its upperparts range from pale yellowish red to deep reddish brown, with a white, ashy or slaty underside, usually black lower legs, a pointed muzzle, large ears and a long bushy tail usually tipped white or black. Two color variants are common: cross foxes, with a black stripe down the back and another across the shoulders, and silver foxes, which range from silver to nearly black.
Across the species, head-and-body length runs from 455 to 900 mm, with a 300–555 mm tail, and weight from 3 to 14 kg. Males are slightly larger than females, foxes in North America and in southern deserts are smaller than European ones, and size increases toward the north.
Habitat & Range
Red foxes live in forest, tundra, prairie, desert, mountains, farmland, wetlands, and urban and suburban areas, from sea level to 4,500 m. They favor mixed vegetation and edges, and North American studies find that dense forest is usually avoided. In Britain they need plenty of cover, such as hedgerows, shrubberies or woodland, and somewhere to dig an earth (den).
The range runs from the Arctic Circle to Central America, the steppes of central Asia and northern Africa. Foxes released in Victoria in 1871 have spread across an estimated 76% of Australia and are widespread on the mainland outside the tropics.
Diet
The red fox is an omnivore. Small mammals such as mice, voles and rabbits are the mainstay, alongside birds, insects, fruit and carrion. What a fox eats follows local supply: in Britain, coastal foxes take crabs and seabirds and urban foxes scavenge from bins, compost heaps and bird feeders, while in North America the diet generally shifts from mostly animal matter in winter to insects and fruit in summer and fall.
A fox eats 0.5–1 kg of food a day, and it stores food in caches that it is very good at relocating.
Behavior
Red foxes are nocturnal or crepuscular and active all year. Daytime activity has become more common in urban and residential areas, where foxes may have become habituated to people.
They do not form packs. A territory usually holds one adult male, one or two adult females and their young, and where several females share it they are generally related; in much of North America the unit is simply a pair. British territories range from 0.2 square kilometers in towns to 40 square kilometers in uplands where food is scarce. Young foxes disperse in their first autumn, from 10 km to almost 400 km away, and then keep the same home range for life.
Human Interaction & Conservation
Foxes were released in Victoria, Australia, in 1871 for recreational hunting. In Australia they are now a primary cause of the decline and extinction of many small and medium-sized rodent and marsupial species, and in Tasmania the red fox is a declared pest. Individual foxes may learn to take poultry that is not adequately protected, and silver foxes are the color variant most prized by furriers.
IUCN's global assessment lists the red fox as Least Concern (2021).
Reproduction & Life Cycle
Red foxes usually raise one litter a year. In the Northern Hemisphere mating generally runs from December to March, earlier in the south of the range and later in the north; in Britain it begins in January and births peak in mid-March. In Australia foxes generally breed between June and October.
Gestation usually lasts 51–53 days and litters average about five, although published maximum litter sizes differ widely. Pups are born blind, open their eyes at 9–14 days, leave the den at 4–5 weeks and are weaned by 8–10 weeks. Females can breed at 10 months, though not all do in their first year.
Wild foxes usually live only a few years: averages of 1–3 years and of 3 years are reported, and most live 3 or 4 years, although higher wild averages of 7.0 and 12.0 years are also listed. The oldest confirmed wild fox, an ear-tagged female in the Netherlands, reached 12. In captivity foxes are known to live 10–12 years, and a captive average of 15.0 years is also given.
Sourced facts
Each value below is traced to the specific reference that states it. Open a row's evidence to see the source, where to look in it, and how firmly it supports the value. Sources checked 2026-10-20.
| Fact | What the source states | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Distinguishing traits | Upperparts pale yellowish red to deep reddish brown; underside white, ashy or slaty; lower legs usually black; pointed muzzle, large ears and a long bushy tail usually tipped white or black. Cross and silver color variants commonly occur.Cross foxes have a black stripe down the back and another across the shoulders; silver foxes, the variant most prized by furriers, range from silver to nearly black; they make up about 25% and 10% of individuals. In Britain the reddish-brown coat, dark legs and white tail tip set the fox apart from other native species and from dogs, and the tail can be as much as 40% of total length. | Matches source · Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, The Mammal Society — how we knowAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
The Mammal Society
|
| Geographic range | Found across much of the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arctic Circle to Central America, the steppes of central Asia and northern Africa: the widest distribution of any canid. Introduced to Australia, where it is now widespread on the mainland outside the tropics, and to the Falkland Islands.The Nearctic and Palearctic regions are tagged as native; one review also reports the view that North American red foxes descend from European foxes introduced around 1750, and notes the species is absent from the Great Plains and the extreme Southeast and Southwest of North America. Foxes released in Victoria in 1871 for recreational hunting now cover an estimated 76% of Australia; in Tasmania the red fox is a declared pest. | Matches source · Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System (Rocky Mountain Research Station), Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania — how we knowAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System (Rocky Mountain Research Station)
Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania
|
| Habitat | Forest, tundra, prairie, desert, mountains, farmland, wetlands, and urban and suburban areas, from sea level to 4500 m. Prefers mixed vegetation and edge habitats, usually avoids dense forest, and needs cover and somewhere to dig an earth (den).Heavy use of edges and avoidance of dense forest are from FEIS (North American literature); the need for cover such as hedgerows, shrubberies or woodland foliage, and for a place to dig, is from the Mammal Society's UK account. | Matches source · Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System (Rocky Mountain Research Station), The Mammal Society — how we knowAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System (Rocky Mountain Research Station)
The Mammal Society
|
| Diet | Omnivore: mainly small mammals such as mice, voles and rabbits, plus birds, insects, fruit and carrion. Diet shifts with season and habitat, and food is stored in caches that foxes are very good at relocating. Eats 0.5–1 kg of food a day.In Britain, urban foxes also scavenge from bird feeders, dustbins and compost heaps, coastal foxes eat crabs and seabirds, and foxes take the eggs and chicks of ground-nesting birds. In North America the diet generally shifts from mostly animal matter in winter to insects and fruit in summer and fall. Individual foxes may learn to take poultry that is not adequately protected. In Australia foxes are a primary cause of the decline and extinction of many small and medium-sized rodent and marsupial species. | Matches source · Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System (Rocky Mountain Research Station), The Mammal Society, Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania — how we knowAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System (Rocky Mountain Research Station)
The Mammal Society
Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania
|
| Body size | Head and body 455–900 mm; tail 300–555 mm. British averages: males 67–72 cm and females 62–67 cm head and body; tail about 40 cm.Species-wide ranges. The red fox is the largest Vulpes species; males are slightly larger than females, North American and southern desert populations are smaller than European ones, and size increases northward. The British averages exclude the tail. | Matches source · Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, The Mammal Society — how we knowAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
The Mammal Society
|
| Body mass | 3–14 kg across the species. British averages: males 6–7 kg, females 5–6 kg.Males are slightly larger than females, and North American and southern desert populations are smaller than European ones. | Matches source · Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, The Mammal Society — how we knowAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
The Mammal Society
|
| Lifespan | Wild: averages of 1–3 years and of 3 years are reported, and most live 3 or 4 years; 7.0 and 12.0 years are also listed as wild averages; the oldest confirmed wild fox reached 12 years. Captivity: known to live 10–12 years; 15.0 years is also listed as a captive average.sources disagreeThe oldest confirmed wild fox was an ear-tagged female from the Netherlands; other individuals have been estimated at 11–15 years old from tooth wear. | Sources disagree · Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System (Rocky Mountain Research Station), The Mammal Society — how we knowWhat each reading says
The averages disagree: one account's text gives 3 years in the wild and 10 to 12 years in captivity, while its data panel lists 7.0 and 12.0 years as wild averages and 15.0 years as a captive average; another account gives 1–3 years, and a North American review says most live 3 or 4 years. The panel's wild 12.0 equals the age of the oldest confirmed wild fox. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System (Rocky Mountain Research Station)
The Mammal Society
|
| Activity pattern | Nocturnal or crepuscular and active year-round; daytime activity has become more common in urban and residential areas where foxes may have become habituated to people.In rural areas foxes are most likely to be seen in the early morning or late evening; daytime activity can be a sign of illness. | Matches source · Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, The Mammal Society — how we knowAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
The Mammal Society
|
| Social structure | Solitary rather than pack-living and at least partly territorial: a range holds one adult male, one or more adult females (generally kin) and their young. Pairs are the usual unit in much of North America; mating is often monogamous, sometimes polygynous.In larger groups only one vixen typically breeds, or only a minority of females rear pups, and some non-breeding females act as helpers. Groups grow where food is plentiful and persecution low. British territories run from 0.2 square kilometers in urban areas to 40 square kilometers in uplands where food is scarce. | Matches source · Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System (Rocky Mountain Research Station), The Mammal Society — how we knowAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System (Rocky Mountain Research Station)
The Mammal Society
|
| Reproduction | Usually one litter a year. Northern Hemisphere: mating generally December–March, earlier in the south of the range and later in the north. Australia: generally June–October. Gestation usually 51–53 days; litters average about 5; pups open their eyes at 9–14 days and are weaned at 8–10 weeks.sources disagreePups leave the den 4 or 5 weeks after birth. In Britain mating begins in January, births peak in mid-March, and an average of four to five cubs are born blind and deaf at 70–120 g. Australian litters range from one to twelve, averaging three to six. Females may breed at 10 months, though not all do in their first year. | Sources disagree · Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System (Rocky Mountain Research Station), Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, The Mammal Society — how we knowWhat each reading says
Reported litter-size ranges disagree: ADW's text gives 1 to 13 pups, its data panel 1 to 9, and FEIS litters of four to seventeen. ADW's longest gestation also differs between its text (56 days) and its data panel (55 days). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System (Rocky Mountain Research Station)
Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania
The Mammal Society
|
| Movement | Young disperse in their first autumn, from 10 km to almost 400 km away; males usually leave earlier and travel farther than females. Animals then keep the same home range for life.North American studies: dispersal begins by mid-September or early October; males dispersed a mean of 29 km in Iowa and Illinois, and females averaged 8 km in Ontario and 16 km in Iowa and Illinois. | Matches source · Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System (Rocky Mountain Research Station) — how we knowAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System (Rocky Mountain Research Station)
|
| Conservation status | Least Concern (LC), global assessment, 2021 | Matches source · IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — how we knowIUCN Red List of Threatened Species
|
References for the facts above
- UniversityAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologySupports: identification, range, habitat, diet, body size, body mass, lifespan, activity, social structure, reproduction, movement. Retrieved 2026-10-20.Limitations: Student-authored account last updated 2007-09-28; species-wide figures with little regional breakdown; its data panel disagrees with its own text on captive and wild lifespan, litter-size range and maximum gestation.
- Wildlife referenceThe Mammal SocietySupports: identification, habitat, diet, body size, body mass, lifespan, activity, social structure, reproduction; group-page activity discrepancy. Retrieved 2026-10-20.Limitations: British species account: size averages, diet examples and breeding timing describe foxes in Britain; statements are not individually referenced.
- GovernmentUSDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System (Rocky Mountain Research Station)Supports: range, habitat, diet, lifespan, social structure, reproduction, movement. Retrieved 2026-10-20.Limitations: Tesky (1995) review focused on North America and drawing mostly on mid-20th-century studies; its reported litter-size range differs from ADW's.
- GovernmentDepartment of Natural Resources and Environment TasmaniaSupports: range (introduced Australian range, Tasmanian status), diet (impact on Australian fauna), reproduction (Australian breeding season and litter size). Retrieved 2026-10-20.Limitations: Covers only the introduced Australian population, from a biosecurity perspective; page last published 26/03/2025.
- ReferenceIUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesSupports: The global Red List category and the year of the assessment. Retrieved 2026-10-20.Limitations: Read from the Red List export IUCN publishes to GBIF; iucnredlist.org itself does not answer automated reads. Categories are reassessed over time.
Frequently Asked Questions — Red Fox
Where do red foxes live?
Across much of the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arctic Circle to Central America, the steppes of central Asia and northern Africa, in habitats from tundra and desert to farmland and towns. They were introduced to Australia, where they now cover an estimated 76% of the continent, and to the Falkland Islands.
How long do red foxes live?
Usually only a few years in the wild: averages of 1–3 years and of 3 years are reported, and most live 3 or 4 years, though wild averages of 7.0 and 12.0 years are also listed. The oldest confirmed wild fox reached 12. Captive foxes are known to live 10–12 years, and a captive average of 15.0 years is also given.
What do red foxes eat?
They are omnivores. Mice, voles and rabbits are the mainstay, with birds, insects, fruit and carrion; in Britain urban foxes also scavenge. A fox eats 0.5–1 kg of food a day and stores food in caches that it is very good at relocating.
Are red foxes active during the day?
Mostly not: they are nocturnal or crepuscular, and in rural areas are most often seen early in the morning or late in the evening. Daytime activity has become more common in towns, where foxes may have become habituated to people.
Sources and further reading
Authoritative wildlife references used for general educational context. Conservation status should always be verified against current IUCN Red List data. External links open in a new tab.
- UniversityAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology — Vulpes vulpes (red fox) species account — identification, range, habitat, diet, body size, body mass, lifespan, activity, social structure, reproduction, movement
- Wildlife referenceThe Mammal Society — Red fox species account (Britain) — identification, habitat, diet, body size, body mass, lifespan, activity, social structure, reproduction; group-page activity discrepancy
- GovernmentUSDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System (Rocky Mountain Research Station) — Vulpes vulpes species review (North America) — range, habitat, diet, lifespan, social structure, reproduction, movement
- GovernmentDepartment of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania — European red fox in Australia and Tasmania — range (introduced Australian range, Tasmanian status), diet (impact on Australian fauna), reproduction (Australian breeding season and litter size)
- ReferenceMammal Diversity Database (American Society of Mammalogists) — Vulpes vulpes taxonomic record — identity: accepted name, authorship, classification, synonyms, taxonomy note
- ReferenceIntegrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) — Vulpes vulpes, TSN 180604 — identity cross-check: valid name, TSN 180604, synonym Canis vulpes, class Mammalia
- ReferenceIUCN Red List — Vulpes vulpes assessment — The global Red List category and the year of the assessment