Red Fox
Last Update/Review: June 3, 2002
Vulpes vulpes
The
red fox is the smallest native member of the dog family in Alberta.
Adults weigh from 3 to 5 kilograms. It has a slim, graceful build,
a coat of dense fur, long legs and a long pointed nose. The fluffy
tail is as long as the body and tipped with white. Although normally
reddish in color, there are two other common color phases: cross and
silver. The cross fox is generally red with black markings on the back
that form a patch or cross. The silver fox is black with white-tipped
hairs. All three color phases may occur in a single litter.
Mating occurs in March. In May four to nine pups are born in a den. Family units hunt together until the fall, but throughout the winter foxes are generally solitary.
Primarily a "mouser," a fox eats other small mammals, as well as birds, eggs, insects, grass and fruit.
Since the red fox is a wary animal and hunts at night, it is seldom seen. It is a fairly common resident of the mixedwood, parkland, foothill, montane and occasionally alpine life zones of Alberta. It also occurs in irrigation districts in the prairie zone. Areas of patchy bush interspersed with openings are its preferred habitat.
Trapping
In 2000-2001, Alberta trappers produced 11 silver fox, 111 cross fox and 1802 red fox pelts. The mean price for a silver was $14.60 per pelt, cross—$30.31 per pelt, and red—$33.13 per pelt, or a total production for the province of $63 225.
Fox are trapped from early October to late February, depending on the region. Fox pelts are in their prime from mid-November to early January.
