THE RED FOX

Vulpes Vulpes
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
The red fox is a thin animal, with short legs. Its tail, which
is large and bushy, accounts for over half its body length. Its
eyes are oval, and vertically oriented. Their ears are fairly large.
Their skulls are narrow and elongated, with small braincases,
and they have large canines. Their muzzles are slenderer than
most other canines.
Red foxes are 14-20 inches tall at the shoulder, and about
18-35 inches long, 13-21 inches of this being tail. Red fox
weight 4.9-31lbs, with females weighing in at 15%-20% less
than the average males. A fox weighs far less than a dog of
comparable size.

HABITAT
The red fox inhabits the entire northern hemisphere, only
absent in Iceland, some parts of Siberia, extreme deserts, and the
artic islands. The red fox has also successfully become an apex
predator, except on the island of Tasmania, where they were
outcompeted by the Tasmanian devil. The red fox is a
prohibited new organism according to the hazardous
substances and new organisms act of 1996, making them illegal
to import.

BREEDING
Red foxes mate once a year, usually in spring. Their
Oestrus period lasts for three weeks, during which the tods
(male foxes), breed with the vixens. Mating is often done more
than once. Because of their unique canine reproduction system,
in which the male and female are inseparable for up to an hour

after mating, mating is often done in burrows underground.

Litter sizes usually form of 4-6 kits, though on occasion as many
as 13 kits are born in a single litter. Kits are born blind, deaf, and
toothless, with a coat of fluffy brown fur. For the first 2-3
weeks, the mother must remain with them, as they cannot
control their body temperature. Their eyes open at 13-15 days.
Foxes reach adult size and leave, or dig further into the burrow,
at 6-7 months.

DIET
The red fox is omnivorous. Creatures of opportunity, foxes
are equally willing to scavenge and hunt. The red fox prefers to
eat small rodents, such as mice and voles, though it also eats
creatures such as rabbits, raccoons, small deer, small birds,
insects, small reptiles, and fish. Plants in their diet include fruits,
acorns, grasses, and tubers.

THE GREY FOX

Urocyon cinereoargenteus
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
The grey fox is slightly shorter than the red fox, with a total
body length of 30-40.4 inches, of which the tail accounts for
10.8-17.4 inches of that length. They weight 7.9-15lbs usually,
but some larger specimens measure up to 20lbs.
The grey fox is nearly unique among the canids for its
ability to climb, sharing this trait only with the Asian raccoon
dog. Grey foxes, unlike other species of fox, have oval pupils.

HABITAT
The grey fox lives almost exclusively in the southern
United States, and some northern parts of Central America.

BREEDING

The grey foxs breeding season varies depending on the

area that they live. Their gestation period is roughly 53 days.
Litter sizes range from 1-7 kits, and the foxes stay with their
parents until the next autumn after their birth, whereupon they
reach sexual maturity and leave the nest.

DIET
The Grey fox is omnivorous, and hunts alone. They prefer
rodents and lagomorphs, but will eat other animals. Insects are
also a staple. Fruit consists of an important part of their diet, and
the grey fox generally eats more vegetable matter than the red
fox. In some areas, the grey fox subsists almost entirely on
plants and insects.

THE ARCTIC FOX

Vulpes Lagopus
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
The artic fox is about 31-43 inches long. The tail is usually
about a foot long in males, with females tails ranging to one and
a half feet. They weigh roughly 3.1-7.7lbs. They are 9.8-11.8
inches at the shoulder.
The artic foxs fur is much thicker and longer than that of
other species of fox. Their famous white coat is only worn in
winter, in the summer they are a brownish, with white markings.

HABITAT
As the name suggests, the Arctic fox dwells in the artic
regions of the northern hemisphere.

BREEDING
The artic fox breeding system stretches from early
September to early may. The gestation period is 52 days. Litter
sizes range from 5-8 kits, though sometimes this extends to as

many as 25, the largest in the canid group. Young foxes may
spend the first few years of life in their parents den, helping
raise new kits, before the females leave. Males stay with their
family.

DIET
Contrary to other foxes, the artic fox is almost entirely
carnivorous. The only vegetable matter they eat are berries and
seaweed. In matters of meat, the artic fox eats whatever it can
find in its sparse arctic home. Lemmings are the main item in
their diet, though they are also a large consumer of bird eggs.
During April and May, they eat ringed seal pups.

THE FENNEC FOX

Vulpes Zerda
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
The fennec fox is the smallest of the foxes; indeed, the
fennec is the smallest canid in the world. It weighs only 1.53.5lbs. It has a body length of 9-16 inches, with a tail of 7-12
inches.
The fennecs most notable features are its ears. These large
ears can measure up to 3.9-5.9 inches. The ears are highly
sensitive, and also serve to dissipate heat, with their multitude of
tiny blood vessels just below the skin.

HABITAT
The fennec lives in northern Africa,

BREEDING
Fennecs breed between January and February, birthing
young between March and July. Like other foxes, they mate
once a year. After mating, the male aggressively protects the

female. Gestation ranges from 50-62 days. Litter sizes are small,
only 1-4 kits. Their eyes open at 10 days.

DIET
The fennec is an omnivore, eating whatever is available in
its desert home, from small animals, to plants, and eggs. Their
sensitive ears allow them to hunt prey underground. The fennec
is amazingly able to live without drinking water, since its
kidneys are adapted to restrict water loss, but it will drink water
that is available.