RED FOX
Scientific Name: Vulpes vulpes

Range & Habitat: North America, in the edges of forests and nearby open fields

Size: 34-46 inches; 8-15 lbs. Males are slightly larger than females.

Life Span: 6-10 years

Gestation: 49-56 days; usually 4-6 young.

Wild Diet: Rabbits, mice and rats, birds and other small animals

Zoo Diet: Dog food, carnivore diet, hardboiled eggs, bones, mice and canned dog food

Habits: Foxes live in a family unit consisting of a male and female and their young, and occasionally another female or two who help out with the young.

Foxes sleep on the ground most of the year but use a den for the young during breeding season. One to 10 young are born in early spring. Young are born blind and do not open their eyes until they are about nine days old. They stay in the den for 4-5 weeks.

They hunt mainly in the early morning and early evening. When food is plentiful, they will kill extra and bury it for later consumption, hiding the excess food under snow, leaves or soft dirt.

The males are called dogs, and the females are called vixens.