Red Fox
Vulpes vulpes
Summary 6
The red fox, Vulpes vulpes, is the largest of the true foxes and the most abundant wild member of the Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, North America and Eurasia. It is listed as least concern by the IUCN. Its range has increased alongside human expansion, having been introduced to Australia, where it is considered harmful to native mammals and bird populations. Due to its presence in...
Description 7
Red foxes are the most widely distributed wild carnivores in the world, occurring in North America, Asia, Europe, and North Africa. They are also widespread in Australia, where they were introduced in about 1850 so that fox-hunters would have something to hunt. Their range in North America has expanded since colonial times as their competitors, wolves, were eliminated, but their range has also contracted in areas where they are in competition with coyotes. Red foxes prey on voles, rabbits, hares, and other small mammals, and also eat birds, fruits, and invertebrates even beetles and earthworms. A male female pair typically inhabits a territory, and older, usually female, siblings help care for the younger offspring by bringing them food. Red foxes are among the main carriers and victims of rabies.
Links:
Mammal Species of the World
Click here for The American Society of Mammalogists species account
Sources and Credits
- (c) matt knoth, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/18158503@N00/2999079757
- (c) Phil Myers, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://animaldiversity.org/collections/contributors/phil_myers/ADW_mammals/Carnivora/Canidae/foxes1412/medium.jpg
- (c) Gerald and Buff Corsi, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://calphotos.berkeley.edu/imgs/512x768/6666_6666/0911/0124.jpeg
- (c) Dave C, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3631/5735258785_920bac19db.jpg
- (c) Julie Richards-Mostosky, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4035/4607785467_9f0d4be285.jpg
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulpes_vulpes
- (c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/6625871
More Info
- iNat taxon page
- Animal Diversity Web
- ASM Mammal Diversity Database
- Atlas of Living Australia
- Biodiversity Heritage Library
- BOLD Systems BIN search
- CalPhotos
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
- iNaturalist Mammal Working Group
- Maryland Biodiversity Project
- NatureServe Explorer 2.0
- NBN Atlas
- VertNet
- 日本のレッドデータ検索システム
