Page 27 - Outdoor Oklahoma Magazine Mar-Apr2023

COOL FACTS About the Red Fox:

• Red foxes have a reddish coat and bushy, white-tipped tail.
• Small rodents and rabbits make up most of their diet.
• Their size is like that of a small dog, with body and tail totaling about 3 feet long.
• They typically weigh 10-15 pounds.
• They are considered the most widely distributed carnivore in the world.
• They are highly adaptable and able to survive in semi-arid habitats, tundra, farmland, forests,
and even in urban settings.
• They can live about eight years in the wild.
• They can chase prey at speeds around 30 mph and can maintain a gallop for long periods.
• They are among the most common spreaders of rabies and carry other diseases such as canine
parvovirus and canine distemper.
• Their native range was originally only the northern United States
and Canada.
• In the 1700s, Europeans brought red foxes to America and released
them, after which they spread throughout the entire country.
• Red foxes in Oklahoma will breed from December to April. TERRY BRUNHOLTZ/READERS PHOTO SHOWCASE 2021
• A female fox, or vixen, will prepare a den underground and will have a
typical litter of three to six pups.
• Pups are born with dark gray fur, which turns to red after about
three months.
Color a Critter: Red Fox

SCOTT GALLAGHER/READERS PHOTO SHOWCASE 2022

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