Fox

The fox is a small wild member of the dog family. Foxes live on every continent except Antarctica. There are about 12 true fox species in the world. The most common and best known is the red fox, which lives across North America, Europe, Asia, and parts of North Africa. An adult red fox weighs between 8 and 15 pounds, about the size of a small house cat.

Foxes have pointed ears, narrow snouts, and bushy tails. The tail is called a brush. It helps the fox balance when it runs and wraps around the fox like a blanket when it sleeps. Foxes are also famous for their sharp senses. A red fox can hear a mouse squeak from 100 feet away.

Unlike wolves, foxes do not live in big packs. A fox usually hunts alone. Parents raise their pups, called kits, in a den dug into the ground. A mother fox gives birth to four to six kits in the spring. The father brings food back to the den. By fall, the young foxes head out to find their own territory.

Foxes will eat almost anything. They hunt mice, rabbits, birds, and insects. They also eat fruit, berries, eggs, and scraps from human trash. This wide diet is one reason foxes are so successful. They live in deserts, forests, mountains, farms, and even cities. In London, England, an estimated 15,000 foxes live among the people, trotting through parks and alleys at night.

Different foxes live in very different places. The arctic fox lives near the North Pole and turns pure white in winter to match the snow. The fennec fox lives in the Sahara Desert. It has huge ears, as big as its face, that help it lose heat and hear prey moving under the sand. The gray fox of North America is the only fox that can climb trees.

Foxes show up in human stories everywhere. In Aesop's fables, the fox is the clever trickster who outsmarts bigger animals. In Japanese folklore, magical fox spirits called kitsune can take the shape of humans. Native American stories from many tribes feature Fox as a teacher or a trickster. The word "foxy," meaning clever, comes straight from this reputation. Scientists who study fox behavior agree that the reputation fits. Foxes plan, remember, and solve problems in ways that surprise researchers, even after centuries of watching them.