Fun Facts:
Red foxes remain in the same home range for life once establishing their own territory.
They have an excellent sense of smell, touch, and sight.
Fox are omnivores, and even store food caches, with an amazing ability to remember where all of the hiding spots are.
They have an excellent sense of smell, touch, and sight.
Fox are omnivores, and even store food caches, with an amazing ability to remember where all of the hiding spots are.
Benefits:
Red foxes control populations of prey such as rodents and rabbits.
They disperse seeds by eating fruit.
They are also considered "ecosystem engineers" because of their denning activities and have even been shown to benefit tree growth in some areas by improving soil nutrients.
They disperse seeds by eating fruit.
They are also considered "ecosystem engineers" because of their denning activities and have even been shown to benefit tree growth in some areas by improving soil nutrients.
Challenges:
Red foxes can be a threat to poultry.
Tips for living alongside them:
Wait until the young leave before closing off a den.
Use scare tactics and repellents to keep them off your property, such as motion-activated sprinklers and noise making devices.
Protect animals such as poultry that will be left unattended by burying an L-shaped footer around the outer perimeter of an enclosure to prevent the foxes from digging to obtain access.
Keep cats indoors.
Use scare tactics and repellents to keep them off your property, such as motion-activated sprinklers and noise making devices.
Protect animals such as poultry that will be left unattended by burying an L-shaped footer around the outer perimeter of an enclosure to prevent the foxes from digging to obtain access.
Keep cats indoors.
range and habitat
Their range extends throughout the entire Northern Hemisphere, from the Arctic Circle to Central America.
They can survive in a wide range of habitats, including tundra, forests, deserts, mountains, farms and urban areas. They prefer mixed vegetation such as edge habitats.
They can survive in a wide range of habitats, including tundra, forests, deserts, mountains, farms and urban areas. They prefer mixed vegetation such as edge habitats.
sources
Cypher, B.L. (2003) Foxes. In Wild Mammals of North America: Biology, Management, and Conservation, JHU Press.
Lang, J. A., Roth, J. D., Tardif, J. C., & Markham, J. H. (2022). Red foxes enhance long‐term tree growth near the Arctic treeline. Ecosphere, 13(9). https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4236
Lang, J. A., Roth, J. D., Tardif, J. C., & Markham, J. H. (2022). Red foxes enhance long‐term tree growth near the Arctic treeline. Ecosphere, 13(9). https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4236
