The red fox is the largest of the true foxes and the most widely distributed wild carnivore in the world, found naturally across much of the Northern Hemisphere and introduced to Australia, thriving in habitats ranging from forests and grasslands to farmland and even city suburbs. It is recognized by its reddish coat, white-tipped bushy tail and slender, pointed muzzle, and it is a highly adaptable omnivore that hunts small mammals, birds and insects while also eating fruit and scavenging human food waste. Red foxes are mostly solitary hunters, most active at dawn, dusk and night, and their adaptability has allowed the species to remain common and classified as being of least concern even as many other wild carnivores have declined.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) System (Realm) Relationship to PeopleInvasive or Introduced Species 2 Living or ExtinctDerived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status (w-bfill-g5-0924 browse backfill). Scientific Name Conservation Status Population EstimateRegional estimate for the introduced Australian population only (2012); the source gives no single consolidated global total across the red fox's native Holarctic range and its other introduced regions. Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceThe red fox has an elongated body and relatively short limbs. The tail, which is longer than half the body length (70 percent of head and body length), is fluffy and reaches the ground when in a standing position. 1 Connections
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Africa, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Argentina, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Australia, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Belgium, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Cyprus, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Denmark, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: France, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Italy, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Kazakhstan, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Kyrgyzstan, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Mexico, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: North America, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Norway, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Russia, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: South Asia, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Spain, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Sweden, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Tajikistan, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Turkmenistan, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Ukraine, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: United States, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Uzbekistan, found in there.
Sources
1. Red Fox (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section, opening sentence naming the binomial
The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the largest of the true foxes, and the most widely distributed member of the order Carnivora.
Lead section, second sentence naming the IUCN status
The red fox is listed as of least concern on the IUCN Red List.
Australia subsection, Range and habitat section
In Australia, estimates in 2012 indicated that there were more than 7.2 million red foxes, with a range extending throughout most of the continental mainland.
Build subsection, opening two sentences
The red fox has an elongated body and relatively short limbs. The tail, which is longer than half the body length (70 percent of head and body length), is fluffy and reaches the ground when in a standing position.
- In Biome: Desert, Wikipedia intro: "ich can be divided into two categories: the large northern foxes and the small, basal southern grey desert foxes of Asia and North Africa. The red fox usually o..."
View the Source 2. Wikipedia: Red Fox
Wikipediasystem (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly, diet)
Its range has expanded alongside human settlement, with the species having been introduced to Australia, where it preys on native small and medium-sized rodents and marsupials.
system (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly, relationship to people)
Because of its impact on native species, it is included on the list of the "world's 100 worst invasive species".
View the Source 3. Red fox (Wikidata)
WikidataStatements section, habitat (P2974): Freshwater
Wikidata habitat statement (P2974) resolves to a freshwater habitat type.
Statements section, habitat (P2974): Terrestrial
Wikidata habitat statement (P2974) resolves to a terrestrial habitat type.
View the Source Wikidata: Red Fox
Catalogue of Life
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