Red fox Also known as red fox, fire fox, etc., slender body, pointed mouth , big ears, short limbs, and a long tail trailing behind him. Widely distributed in Eurasia and North America, it has also been introduced to Australia and other places.

Red fox is the largest and most common fox, with a body length of about 80 cm, a weight of 4-7 kg, and a tail length of 20-40 cm; Pointy, large ears, tail length slightly more than half of body length; thick short hair on the soles of the feet; tail glands, which can emit a peculiar odor, called "fox sham"; 4 pairs of nipples; hair color varies according to seasons and regions Large variation, generally brown-grey or brown-red on the back, white or yellow-white on the abdomen, white on the tip of the tail, black or dark brown on the back of the ears, and black stripes on the outside of the limbs extending to the surface of the feet. Males are slightly larger. It has a body length of 50-90 cm, a tail length of 30-60 cm, and a weight of 5-10 kg, with the largest reaching 15 kg. Females are slightly smaller than males. The coat color on the back of the body is varied, but the typical coat color is auburn, but there are also slight differences, more red hair, commonly known as fire fox, more gray-yellow hair. The head is generally gray-brown and white. The fur of the red fox is used to make furs, as well as fur hats, collars and decorations.

In addition, there are many types of body color variation in Firefox, such as black foxes or swarthy foxes; the undercoat of the whole body is black, but the hair tips are white, which appear in the light. Silver foxes are called silver foxes or mysterious foxes; those with reddish brown body and black cross-shaped hairs on their shoulders are called cross foxes, and there are Japanese sword foxes, etc., but different color types do not represent different subspecies, and Regardless of the color type, the tip of the tail is white. The areas with more silver foxes are the northeastern United States and Canada, followed by northern Europe and northern Siberia. In different regions, the ratio of silver fox to red fox is from 1:20 to 1:5. This mutation is closely related to the climatic conditions such as humidity and light in the production area.

feeds on rodents, birds, insects, worms, and fruit. Firefox is suspicious by nature, and most of them first carefully observe the surrounding environment when acting, so there is the word "suspicious" in our country. When it encounters an enemy, it will use a secret weapon hidden in its body, the anal gland, to secrete a "body odor" that can almost suffocate other animals. The foul smell makes the pursuer have to stop. In critical situations, it can also escape by fleeing into the flock and jumping into the river to hide. Red Fox caught by hunters, and a set of "playing dead" "The ability to temporarily stop breathing seems to be dying, at the mercy of others, but when people are unprepared, they suddenly run away quickly. These cunning behaviors are its superb means of survival.

Agile and responsive. It is active at night, and at dawn, it returns to the cave and lies on its tail. If the shelter is better, it is also active near the cave during the day. Prey on all kinds of rodents, wild birds, bird eggs, insects and invertebrates, but also eat berries, mustelids, etc., and occasionally steal poultry.

Mating between January and February every year, male foxes fight fiercely for female foxes. The gestation period is about 2 months, and the male and female jointly raise the cubs, and the cubs can live independently after the autumn.

Mating in the early spring of each year, the gestation period is 50-60 days, the cubs are born in May, and they are sexually mature for half a year. Although red foxes live only 14 years, this is longevity among canids. It likes to live in burrows, tree holes or rock crevices, and sometimes occupies dens of animals such as rabbits and badgers. In winter, there is water vapor coming out of the hole, and there is obvious red fox frosting, as well as scattered footprints, urine and feces. Wait, there is new soil dug up around the entrance of the cave in summer, there are obvious footprints on it, and there is a very strong smell of fox. However, its habitat is often not fixed, and except during the breeding and brooding periods, it is generally a solitary habitat. They usually come out at night and hide in caves to sleep during the day. Their long tails can prevent moisture and keep warm, but in remote places, they sometimes come out to look for food during the day. Although its legs and feet are short, its claws are sharp, and it runs very fast. When chasing prey, it can reach a speed of more than 50 kilometers per hour, and it is good at swimming and climbing trees. Firefox is very adaptable, from mountains to plains, from forests to grasslands, and even deserts and human urban settlements are their habitats.

The male red fox is a very alert father, often playing with his cubs and taking on the task of finding food and feeding his family alone. Three months after the baby fox was born, the father's parenting task was over, and the young fox began to search for food by himself. But instead of watching them starve, the father hides food near the little foxes and teaches them how to find it. [1]