Fox

The fox is considered to be particularly clever. That’s why he is also called “Reineke” or “Reinhard” – that means “the one who is invincible because of his cleverness”.

Characteristics

What do foxes look like?

Foxes are carnivores and belong to the canid family, so they are quite closely related to dogs and wolves. They look quite similar to dogs but have shorter legs and a much longer body.

Foxes are 60 to 90 centimeters long, around 40 centimeters high, and weigh around seven kilograms. Typical for them is the thick, bushy, and very long tail. It measures up to 40 centimeters, half the length of the whole fox.

The dense fur is reddish-brown, cheeks, belly and the insides of the legs are white. The tip of the tail is white or dark in color. The face of the fox is unmistakable, with the attentively erected ears, the long pointed snout, the black nose, and the eyes with elliptical pupils.

Foxes are much lighter and narrower compared to dogs of similar body sizes. That is why they are very athletic: They can jump up to five meters and two meters high and run up to 50 kilometers per hour. They can also hide in the narrowest caves and in the smallest hole in the ground.

Where do foxes live?

The fox is one of the most widespread predators: it lives in Europe (except Cyprus, Crete, Malta, and Mallorca), in North Africa, in Asia, and in North America. In Australia, it was introduced by humans.

Foxes are extremely adaptable. It doesn’t matter whether it’s forests, semi-deserts, coasts and high mountains up to 4500 meters high – foxes find a habitat everywhere.

But they also feel at home in parks today.

And clever as they are, they have long since discovered that there are all kinds of delicacies to be found in gardens in cities, but also in garbage dumps and in rubbish heaps.

What species of fox is there?

In addition to our fox, the red fox, there is the arctic fox further north to the Arctic. The desert fox lives in North Africa and the steppe fox in the steppes of Central Asia.

How old do foxes get?

Foxes can live up to twelve years.

Behave

How do foxes live?

Unlike most other canine animals – such as wolves or our domestic dogs – foxes do not live in packs. They prefer to roam alone through the woods and go hunting alone. They only stay with their partner for a while during the mating season. Then the fox and the fairy – that’s what a vixen is called – go their separate ways again.

Foxes are active at night and at dusk; then they roam their territory in search of food. They use their excellent sense of smell and hearing to track down their prey. No matter how quietly a mouse scurries through the grass, it cannot escape a fox.

Numerous whiskers on the snout and paws are used to perceive even the smallest movement and vibration. Foxes retreat to their underground burrows to sleep and when the weather is bad. Sometimes they dig them themselves, but sometimes they simply move into burrows dug by badgers or rabbits.

Burrows with an exit on the sunny side is particularly popular: foxes and their young like to sunbathe here. A burrow consists of many caves as well as main and escapes passages – the fox can therefore disappear into its burrow from many parts of its territory in a flash.

In very large burrows there are sometimes real communities: foxes, badgers, polecats and even rabbits live together peacefully – each in a part of the burrow. This works well because there is truce in the burrow: everyone is left in peace, and the rabbits don’t have to fear for their lives either – but really only as long as they are in the burrow.

Friends and foes of the fox

Eagles and wolves used to be dangerous to foxes. But today the foxes hardly have any natural enemies.

They were most threatened by humans: they were once hunted for their fur.

In recent decades, many foxes have had to be killed because they are the main vectors of rabies. With this deadly disease, the fox can infect not only other animals but also humans.

Foxes that have contracted rabies behave quite strangely: They lose their fear of humans, become aggressive and bite. So stay away from a fox that seems to be sitting trustingly on the side of the road and wants to be petted!

How do foxes reproduce?

If you hear howling and barking in the forest on a cold January or February night, these are often foxes looking for a partner. Usually, several males court a female. The chosen one eventually mates with the female, stays with her and helps raise the young.

Three to five young are born 50 to 52 days after mating. They are tiny, blind, and have dark gray fur. They only weigh 80 to 150 grams. They open their eyes after about two weeks.

At the age of one month, they leave the burrow for the first time and go on their first excursions. Young foxes are very playful. They romp around together in front of the den for hours, practicing all the movements they will later need for hunting. After just four months they are independent.

What fox babies have to learn

The little foxes lost their mother and live in a wildlife sanctuary. Here they learn what they need for their lives in the great outdoors.