Red Fox

Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes

The most widely distributed carnivore in the world, the red fox may or may not be native to the United States. While the Europeans brought the red fox into the southeast around 1750, there may have been a few scattered populations already in the far north of the continent who later interbred. While the origins are unclear, there are currently 10 recognized subspecies spanning most of North America. They live in a wide range of habitats from deserts to the barren arctic.

Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes

While meat composes of the majority of the diet of a red fox, it changes with the season. Fruits, nuts, and insects are common during seasons of abundance. They will also eat grasses and carrion. During the winter, they will either dig a den or use an abandoned burrow. There are often at least two openings, with more than one den found to have up to nineteen openings. It is also during this time foxes meet to mate, producing one litter per year during the spring of up to seventeen pups.