Fox Facts
Fox Facts

46 Crafty Fox Facts

James Israelsen
By James Israelsen, Associate Writer
Published March 27, 2022
  • The only continents that don't have red foxes are South America and Antarctica.[5]
  • There are over 20 species of fox.[5]
  • The size of different fox species varies, but none grow to weigh more than 25 pounds.[5]
  • Fox species that live in cold areas of the world usually have both a summer and a winter coat, each of which sheds when the temperature changes, to let the new coat grow in.[5]
  • On cold nights, foxes cover themselves with their tail, like a blanket, to keep warm.[5]
  • A fox's tail helps it keep its balance when pouncing on prey.[5]
  • Most species of arctic fox have a dark coat in summer and a white coat in winter, to help them blend in with the environment.[5]
  • The average life span of a red fox in the wild is only 2 to 4 years.[2]
  • Foxes are canines, meaning they are related to dogs, wolves, and coyotes.[2]
  • Foxes and chickens
    The fox is often represented as the chicken farmer's worst enemy
  • Of all the meat-eating mammals on planet Earth, the red fox is the most widespread.[2]
  • Biologists recommend never feeding foxes that live in urban areas, so that they will retain their ability to hunt.[2]
  • Although they are relatives of dogs, red foxes have long whiskers, retractable claws, and great night vision—just like cats.[2]
  • Almost all species of fox hunt solo.[2]
  • Fox parents both take care of their pups, taking turns hunting for food for the family.[2]
  • Foxes are able to hear rodents that are digging miles underground.[2]
  • Red foxes have over 20 different calls that they can make and understand.[2]
  • Kitsune—mythological foxes that play the role of tricksters in Japanese myth—are referenced in The Tale of Genji, the world's oldest novel.[1]
  • Fox pups are raised by their parents for the first seven months of their lives.[2]
  • A group of foxes is known as either a “skulk” or a “leash.”[2]
  • Some fox dens, passed on from generation to generation, are over 300 years old.[4]
  • In the myths of the Apache, it was Fox who stole fire and gave it to humankind.[1]
  • Fox Cultural Fact
    Foxes have a mythos all their own: clever, crafty, and a bit mysterious

  • The arctic fox’s thick fur keeps its body at an average temperature of 104 degrees Fahrenheit.[4]
  • Arctic foxes live within the Arctic Circle.[4]
  • Arctic foxes can live and hunt on both frozen land and sea ice.[4]
  • One of the arctic fox’s predators is the golden eagle.[4]
  • Arctic foxes have been known to follow polar bears, hoping to share in the spoils of the bear's hunt.[4]
  • Arctic foxes are able to slow down their own heart rate, allowing them to quasi-hibernate for up to two weeks.[4]
  • Desert foxes have bodies that are only between 9 and 16 inches (22 to 40 cm) long.[3]
  • Red foxes will eat birds, frogs, snakes, grasshoppers, berries, rabbits, mice, most rodents, and garbage.[2]
  • Desert foxes are nocturnal.[3]
  • Fox Urban Facts
    The urban fox in its "natural" habitat
  • As their natural habitats have been encroached upon by human development, red foxes have adapted to city life, hunting in garbage cans and establishing their dens under porches.[2]
  • Although very small, desert foxes can jump two feet in the air and can leap across distances of four feet.[3]
  • Unlike most foxes, desert foxes live in groups of up to 10 other foxes.[3]
  • In Britain, a fox was once found in a London high-rise; it had climbed the stairs up 72 stories.[1]
  • Most major cities in Canada, the United States, Great Britain, and Australia all have foxes living in them.[1]
  • Foxes' teeth allow them to eat an extremely varied diet and are the reason for their success as a species.[1]
  • Foxes are descended from a canine animal that lived in the ancient jungles of what is modern-day Texas.[1]
  • The earliest known foxes to migrate got as far as Africa, over seven million years ago.[1]
  • A woman buried in what is now Jordan over 16,000 years ago was buried with a red fox carefully placed over her body.[1]
  • In the Asian region of the Levant, it is common to find foxes buried alongside humans in graves that are over 8,000 years old.[1]
  • "Vixen" is the name for a female fox, while male foxes are called "tods" or "dog foxes,"[6]
  • Foxes can retract their claws and are the only type of canine that can do so.[6]
  • Great Britain outlawed the ancient custom of hunting foxes using dogs in 2004.[6]
  • Eighty-five percent of all fox fur sold in the fur industry comes from foxes raised on factory farms.[6]
  • Grey foxes can climb trees and are the only type of dog species that can do so.[6]
  • In 2009, a baby fox cub caught in a snare survived for two weeks because his mother brought him food every day until he was rescued by an animal rights group.[6]
  • Fun Fox INFOGRAPHIC
    Fox Infographic Thumbnail
References

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