Fun Facts About the Red Fox

By Abbey Greene

Our furry little friends in the forest are not just cute...there are some things about foxes that not everyone knows.

via GIPHY

Red foxes are a member of Jackson's ecosystem and in several other places around the world, including the Arctic Circle, North Africa, North America and Eurasia. Here are a few fun facts about these creatures that you may not have been aware of, until now.

1. Red foxes would be great triathletes.
Red foxes can run up to 31 mph, jump over 6 ft high fences, and they can even swim. ​

​2. Their tail is over half its body length.
(70% of its head and body length long, to be exact.)

3. Red foxes’ forepaws have five toes, while their hind feet only have four! (And they don’t have dewclaws either.)

4. Females are actually called vixens. 
​Meanwhile, males are called dog foxes, and young foxes are called cubs, pups, or kits.

5. Red foxes have supersonic hearing! Well, almost.
They can hear crows in flight from up to a third of a mile away, a grouse changing roosts at 600 paces, and even a little mouse squeak from 100 metres away. Reportedly, they can even hear a watch ticking from 40 yards away!
6. Largely, red foxes are choose one mate to be with for their whole life. That's right, they are monogamous. 

7. When afraid, red foxes grin.
​It is a sign of submission, along with arching their backs and bringing themselves lower to the ground while laying their ears back.

8. They don’t make good pets.
Wild animals are meant to live in the wild. Simple as that.

​When it comes to red foxes, many kits are adopted by people who mean well, but it’s unlikely that the pups were abandoned by their mother in the first place. Always respect nature, give them space and trust in the red foxes’ instinct; they will take care of their babies.