The Red Fox – fun facts about Red foxes – British Mammals

ByMarc

The Red Fox is the most widespread Carnivore in the world. I recently had a close encounter with one on a lunchtime walk and wanted to share some interesting facts about foxes with you all.

When I first tried to walk past, I didn’t notice the fox in the hollow and thought that it was a piece of wood or something else someone had put there. It wasn’t until the fox blinked that I realized what it was, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I froze still, hoping to get my camera out and set up in time before it ran away. Luckily, the fox didn’t seem to disturbed and just sat there, staring back at me. There are several species of fox around the world but this species, the red fox is the only one we get in the UK. They are native to Europe, northern Africa and some parts of America but have been introduced to Australia, Mexico, Canada and multiple other countries. Because of these introductions red foxes are now the most widespread carnivore in the world. In order to survive in such a wide range of places, red foxes are notoriously clever and cunning. They have a flexible diet that naturally includes small mammals, birds, amphibians and even insects and worms. But when they have to they can be even more flexible, eating berries and fruits, and of course the scraps left behind by people. With the intensification of farming and destruction of habitats in the UK, more and more foxes are setting up home in our towns and cities. Here there is plenty to eat, but urban living comes at a cost, cars. In the countryside foxes can live for upto 12 years but in urban areas they have an average lifespan of just 18 months and around 60% of them die as the result of traffic collisions. I didn’t want this one to leave the safety of the tree, so moved on and left it be.

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