Red Fox
Vulpes vulpes
Image by Aaron Maizlish on Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0
Physical: This small, dog-like animal is rusty-red with white under parts, chin, and throat. The ears are pointy and tall, and the tail is long and bushy with a white tip.
Habitat: Red fox prefer the edges of forests, tilled fields and marsh edges, but they can also be found on farmland, beaches, prairies, woodlands and both alpine and arctic tundra. They thrive throughout most of New Jersey.
Feeding: Their winter diet consists mainly of small mammals such as mice, squirrels, and rabbits. In the summer months, insects, crustacea, turtle eggs and vegetable matter play a more important part in their feeding habits.
Breeding: Red fox are solitary animals, except during the breeding season. Most of the day is spent in the den or above ground in cozy hollows called kennels. Foxes usually mate in winter. Because of their short lifespan, females, or vixens, breed two or three times, and males, called dogs, usually mate only once.
