Red fox

 

Classification:

Global Population

Description and Natural History

Physical Description
Like all canids, foxes have a rather slender appearance, pointed ears and an elongated muzzle. The coat is generally reddish (hence the name red fox) with the back of the ears and the front of the legs black and the throat and belly from white to grey.

There is a genetic mutation with an absence of guard hairs, known as the Samson fox. Very rarely white individuals have been recorded and, in North America, black foxes are relatively common. Black foxes are known as silver foxes as the hair on the rump is tipped with silver and this stands out well against the remaining black fur. A variant that is only present in North America is the cross fox. Cross foxes have a prominent black stripe along the spine and a stripe along the shoulders at a right angle, which gives the appearance of being a cross.

If seen from a distance, the fox might appear as a large animal but in fact, foxes are rather small. Foxes are medium-sized canids, a male weighing 4-8 kilogrammes and a female 4-6 kilogrammes. The length of head and body combined is about 67-72 centimetres in males and about 62-68 centimetres in females. The tail, which is about 40-44 centimetres in males and 37-41 centimetres in females, represents about a third of the total body length of a fox. The body weight varies in different regions and increases from south to north. In North America foxes tend to be smaller than in Europe, so that some researchers have proposed that North American foxes are a different species. In Britain, an average fox is a little bigger than a pet cat.

Natural History
Today, the Red Fox has a range spanning most of North America and Eurasia, southern Australia, and with several populations in North Africa.

In Australia the Red Fox is an introduced species and a serious conservation problem. Introduction occurred about 1850, reportedly either for fox hunting, or to control introduced rabbits.

In North America the red fox is native in boreal regions, introduced in temperate regions.  There is a recent fossil record of red foxes in boreal North America, and one subspecies of these native boreal foxes extends south in the Rocky Mountains. In temperate North America, red foxs are derived from European Red Foxes, which were introduced into the Southeastern United States around 1650-1750 for fox hunting, and from there to California for the fur trade. The first introduction is attributed to Robert Brooke, Sr., who is said to have imported 24 red foxes from England.

The introduced European red fox may have interbred with the scarce indigenous population to produce a hybrid population.  Three subspecies of Red Fox are found in India: Vulpes vulpes Montana (the Tibetan Fox), found in Ladakh and the Himalayas, Vulpes vulpes griffithi (the Kashmir Fox) found in Jammu and Kashmir less the Ladakh sector, and Vulpes vulpes pusilla (the Desert Fox) found in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan and in Kutch, Gujarat.

A subspecies, the Japanese Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes japonica) migrated from India to China and eventually to Japan, where the Red Fox is also known by the Japanese name kitsune

Status of the Species

Status
Red foxes or foxes, as they are commonly known, are currently the most common and widely distributed of all wild carnivores. They inhabit all regions of the northern hemisphere and have been introduced into Australia and recently, also into Tasmania. In the past foxes were also introduced in North America were they rapidly spread at the expense of the local fox subspecies (Vulpes vulpes fulva). The British introduced foxes into Australia for hunting and foxes quickly colonised most of the continent, wiping out many species of native fauna.

Foxes are very adaptable animals and live in habitats as different as tundra, mountain regions, deserts and urban and suburban areas. This is why foxes can successfully colonise new environments and become invasive species, competing with and predating on the local fauna.

Threats to the Species
Currently, there are no significant threats to red fox populations, though the UK fox hunt has been condemned by many as a cruel sport, where dogs are used to capture and kill or maim foxes. 

Recent surveys have shown fox numbers to be generally in decline across the United Kingdom.

International Trade
Today, silver fox is traditionally used for collars and cuffs, wraps and stoles, while common red fox fur is used for trimming and for full fur garments.

Authors and Sources

Sources
www.thefoxwebsite.co.uk

Wikipedia

Baker, Harris, and White (1990) After the Hunt: The future for foxes in Britain.  IFAW