Fox Scientific name: Vulpes vulpes

Fox: Red Fox
Scientific name: Vulpes vulpes
A fox can be any of 23 medium-sized carnivore species in the family Canidae,and in particular the well-known Red Fox.The red fox's resourcefulness has earned it a legendary reputation for intelligence and cunning.
Range and habitat
Red foxes live around the world in many diverse habitats including forests, grasslands, mountains, and deserts. They also adapt well to human environments such as farms, suburban areas, and even large communities. They are distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the Asiatic steppes. They are absent in Iceland, the Arctic islands, some parts of Siberia, and in extreme deserts.
Red foxes migrated relatively late into the North American continent. Fossils dating from the Wisconsian are present in 25 sites in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, New Mexico, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wyoming.
Physical characteristics
Red foxes are the largest species of the genus Vulpes. Red foxes are much lighter than similarly sized dogs.
On average, adults measure 35–50 cm (14–20 in) high at the shoulder and 49–90 cm (19–35 in) in body length with tails measuring 53–60 cm (21–24 in). The ears measure 7.7-12.5 cm (3–5 in) and the hind feet 12-18.5 cm (5–7 in). They weigh 2.2–10 kg.
The winter fur is dense, soft, silky and relatively long. In northern foxes, the fur is very long, dense and fluffy, but is shorter, sparser and coarser in southern forms.
The average sleep time in a 24-hour period of a red fox in captivity is said to be 9.8 hours.Red foxes have a wide vocal range, and produce different sounds spanning five octaves, which grade into each other. Recent analyses identify 12 different sounds produced by adults and 8 by kits.
Subspecies
Red fox subspecies are divided into two categories:
Northern foxes: Large, brightly colored foxes- the northern red foxes and smaller fox species  their skulls possess more primitive, neotenous traits than the northern forms  and are also much smaller.
Southern grey desert foxes- the maximum sizes attained by southern foxes are invariably less than the average sizes of northern foxes. Their limbs are also longer, and their ears larger.
Includes the Asian subspecies griffithi, pusilla and flavescens.
Hunting and diet
Red foxes are omnivores with a highly varied diet.Red foxes are solitary hunters who feed on rodents, rabbits, birds, and other small game but their diet can be as flexible as their home habitat. Foxes will eat fruit and vegetables, fish, frogs, and even worms. If living among humans, foxes will opportunistically dine on garbage and pet food.
Reproduction
Red foxes reproduce once a year in spring. The gestation period lasts 49–58 days.The average litter size consists of four to six kits, though litters of up to 13 kits have occurred.
Kits are born blind, deaf and toothless, with dark brown fluffy fur. At birth, they weigh 56-110 g and measure 14.5 cm in body length and 7.5 cm in tail length. At birth, they are short-legged, large-headed and have broad chests. Mothers remain with the kits for 2–3 weeks. If the mother dies before the kits are independent, the father takes over as their provider. The kit's eyes open after 13–15 days.
Predatory
Wolves may kill and eat red foxes in disputes over carcasses.They may be preyed upon by leopards, caracals and Eurasian lynxes.
Life expectancy
In captivity, their longevity can be as long as 14 years.