Red fox (scientific name: Vulpes vulpes): There are 47 subspecies. The adult animal is 62-72 cm long, 40 cm high at the shoulder, 20-40 cm long tail, and weighs 5-7 kg. The coat color varies greatly due to different seasons and regions. Generally, the back is brown-gray or brown-red, the abdomen is white or yellow-white, the tip of the tail is white, the back of the ears is black or black-brown, and the outer black stripes of the limbs extend to the feet. Males are slightly larger.

Red fox

The red fox has a well-developed sense of hearing and smell , Sexual cunning, quick action. I like to be alone. Prey at night. 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. It mainly feeds on marmots and rodents, but also eats wild birds, frogs, fish, insects, etc., as well as various wild fruits and crops.

Found throughout the northern hemisphere, including Europe, North America, the steppe of Asia, and North Africa. It is the most widely distributed among the carnivores. Among them, three subspecies are included in the Washington Convention CITES protected animals - Appendix III.

Chinese name: red fox

Latin name: Vulpes vulpes

Aliases: red fox, grass fox, southern fox, fire fox, silver fox, cross fox

Kingdom: Animalia

Department: Chordate

Subphylum: Vertebrate subphylum

Class: Mammalia

Subclass: Eutheria

Order: Carnivora

Family: Canidae

Genus:Fox

Species: red fox

Subspecies: 47 subspecies

Named and dated: Linnaeus, 1758

English names: Red Fox, Silver Fox, Cross Fox

Morphological characteristics:

The red fox is the largest and most common fox, with an adult body length of about 70 cm and a hind foot length of 13.5- 17.2 cm, the skull base is 13.4-16.9 cm long. Slim body. The snout is pointed and long, the nasal bone is slender, the front of the frontal bone is flat, there is a narrow groove in the middle, the ears are large, high and pointed, and erect. The limbs are short and the tail is long, slightly more than half of the body length. The tail is thick, the coat is long and fluffy, the body is covered with long needle hairs, and the winter hair has a rich undercoat. The upper part of the back of the ear is black, which is obviously different from the hair color of the head, and the tail tip is white. The soles of the feet have dense short hairs; they have tail glands, which can emit a peculiar odor, which is called fox sham; 4 pairs of nipples.

The coat color varies greatly due to different seasons and regions. In southern regions such as Guangxi, the coat is thin and short, and in the north, the coat is long and dense. Generally, the back coat is brownish-yellow or tends to be brownish-red, or brownish-white, with grayish-white tips, with many variations. The arid regions in the north are rich in white tips, so the color is light. The upper part of the back of the ears and the outer sides of the limbs tend to be black and extend to the surface of the feet, and there are dark brown hair areas on both sides of the snout. Throat, chest and abdomen are light-colored, black-grey and black-white. From the top of the head to the center of the back between the ears, there is a chestnut-brown obvious band, and the center of the back is oozing with white hair tips. The hind limbs are dark red. The top of the tail is reddish-brown with black, yellow or gray fine spots, the tip of the tail is white, and the underside of the tail is also brownish-white. Juvenile coat is light gray-brown. [2]

In addition, there are many types of body color variations in red foxes, such as black foxes or swarthy foxes with black body coats; black undercoats, but white tips. Those that show silver brilliance in the light are called silver foxes or black foxes; those with russet 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 mean different subspecies, and regardless of 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, and this mutation is closely related to the climatic conditions such as humidity and light in the production area.