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Red Fox | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Red Fox

Vulpes vulpes

MammaliaForest, grassland, tundra, farmland, desert edge and citiesLeast Concern

Field profile

The red fox is the most widely distributed wild carnivoran on Earth, found from Arctic tundra to city centres. It is an omnivorous opportunist that hunts alone and caches surplus food. Its adaptability to human landscapes has made it one of the most successful mammals of the past century.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-06-17

Red Fox

The red fox pounces on prey it cannot see

Hunting rodents under snow, a fox listens, rears up and dives nose-first into the drift. A widely reported study suggested the pounces are more successful when aimed roughly north-east, but that finding remains unreplicated.

Read with evidence →