Metazoa info

[Duke Guilmon]

Red fox



Vulpes vulpes

Size: 75-145.5cm

Weight: 3-11kg

Life expectancy: 5 years

When it first appeared: The Red fox first appeared 0.7 MYA, in the mid Pleistocene

Location: The red fox has a large habitat range. It can be found in forest, mountains, farms, suburbs, grasslands, and deserts. They also have a large rang, living in most of Asia, east and northern mid west you U.S. , Canada, Alaska, Morocco, and introduced to most of Australia. 



Taxonomy:
Class: Mammalia
Clade: Holotheria
Superlegion: Trechnotheria
Legion: Cladotheria
Sublegion: Zatheria
Infralegion: Tivosphenida
Subclass: Theria
Clade: Eutheria
Infraclass: Placentalia
Subcohort: Exfroplacentalia
Magnorder: Boreoeutheria
Superorder: Laurasiatheria
Clade: Scrotifera
Clade: Ferungulata
(unranked): Pegasaferae
(unranked): Zoomata
(unranked): Ferae
(unranked): Carnivoramorpha
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Caniformia
Family: Canidae
Subfamily: Caninae
Tribe: Vulpini
Genus: Vulpes
Species: Vulpes vulpes

Diet: Red foxes are omnivores. They will eat rodents, game birds, raccoons, fish, insects, reptiles, berries, apples, plums, grapes, acorns, grass, tubers, cherries, and opossums. 

Anatomy: Red foxes have a pretty strong sense of hearing. They can locate sounds up to 700-3,000 Hz. They also have anal sacks which are said to smell like violets. 

Behavior: Red foxes are nocturnal. red foxes are also shy, as they try to avoid humans. Red foxes have been known to dig dens in order to avoid bad whether.  Red foxes are social animals. They will live in social groups from 3-4 adults. These foxes use body movements to communicate. They are also territorial. The dominant red foxes are able to claim territory. Submissive foxes will approach the dominant one in a submissive position. 

Reproduction: In fox groups, only one female will mate usually, though sometimes three will. Red foxes reproduce once during the spring. It is said that for the most part Red foxes are monogamous, though there are polygamous groups. The red fox gestation period is 49-58 days. The females have up to 4-6 kits. The females will raise the kits till they reach adulthood. Both the mom and dad care for their young. The young will stay in the den for 10 months. 

Relationship with other animals: Other foxes share rivalries with the red fox. The red fox will fight, kill, and compete with these foxes. Despite being powerful, grey foxes and corsac faxes can beat the red fox. Wolves will kill foxes when competing for food. Red foxes will also kill small mustelids. Europeans badgers will share their dens with Red foxes, though they will evict vixens if they have kits. 
Red foxes are preyed on by leopards, caracals, lynxes, cougars, bobcats, eurasioan eagle owls and golden owls. Parasites of the red fox include the rabbit flea, the ear mite, the itch mite, the castoar bean tick, ixodes hexagonus, demodex folliculorum, notedres, and linguatula serrata.  Humans have hunted red foxes as well. 




*HEAVY BREATHING

Other sources:

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Vulpes_vulpes/

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/23062/0

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/an...s/red-fox/