Red Fox

Fascinating facts about the Red Fox

• Red foxes first appeared in Eurasia at least 400,000 years ago and later crossed into North America before 130,000 years ago. Their long-standing presence is recorded in Middle Pleistocene fossils and in isolated North American sites dating back to the Illinoian and Wisconsinan glaciations. This deep history explains why distinct northern and southern refugia still exist in North America, hinting at possible incipient speciation.
• A red fox can sprint up to 50 km/h (31 mph) and leap over fences over 2 m (6 ft 7 in). Adults stand 35-50 cm high at the shoulder, measure 45-90 cm in length, and weigh 2.2-14 kg, yet their limb bones are 30 % lighter than those of similarly sized dogs.
• Covering nearly 70 000 000 km² (27 000 000 sq mi), the red fox is the most widespread carnivore on Earth. Humans have spread it further, introducing it to Australia where estimates in 2012 counted more than 7.2 million individuals. Its sheer numbers and adaptability make it a key predator and, in some regions, one of the world's 100 worst invasive species.
• Scientists recognise 45 subspecies of red fox, split into large northern forms and smaller southern desert types, and a 46th subspecies, the Sacramento Valley red fox (V. v. patwin), was added in 2010 after mitochondrial studies. From the heavy-built British foxes to the slender North American montane forms.
• Red foxes sport a pair of anal sacs that grow with age from 5 mm to 40 mm long and hold 1-5 mL of scented fluid, while their supracaudal (tail) gland measures about 25 mm by 13 mm and reportedly smells of violets. These scent factories act as fermentation chambers, turning sebum into odorous acids.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Red Fox

With cunning stealth, the red fox navigates the twilight realm, its rusty coat blending seamlessly into the fading light as it pads silently through the underbrush, driven by an insatiable curiosity and a hunger for discovery. As it moves, its bushy tail twitches with excitement, a counterbalance to its fluid, almost ethereal gait, which belies the sharp intellect and adaptability that have allowed this remarkable creature to thrive in even the most unexpected of environments. With eyes aglow like embers, the red fox embodies a fierce and unyielding spirit, a true master of the wild.

Red Fox photographed on Feravox

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