Special report: Close Encounter with Fox and Kits, 05/10/2008
Female fox (vixen), 05/10/08
Vixen with kits, 05/10/08
Kit fox, 05/10/08
Vixen and kit fox, 05/10/08
Vixen watching kits, 05/10/08
Vixen, 05/10/08
On our hike this week, near Boulder, we stumbled upon a red fox and kits.
We counted 4 kits. The vixen was pretty relaxed about our presence.
The red fox's habitat is larger than any other canid. Besides North America, they inhabit Europe, North Africa, Asia, Japan, and Australia. They are omnivores like us; they enjoy fruit, vegetables, meat, and bugs.
Here in Colorado, the fox's main competitor is the coyote. Being smaller, and hunting alone, the fox always loses in a confrontation with the coyote. For that reason, their territories do not overlap.
Vixens give birth every year, and the kits are able to leave the den after 5 weeks. They leave their mothers after about 8 months.
In the wild, foxes only live about 3 years, while in captivity, they can live to 12 years.