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Fox Information

For fox trapping information, visit the Fish and Wildlife website.

Where Foxes Live
  • Found in all parts of Canada.
  • Lives in a burrow that was dug by another animal
  • May dig a tunnel of its own in loose soil
  • Dens may also be under buildings
  • Can have more than 1 entrance
  • Grass and leaves line the den
  • Might have more than 1 den for a family
A fox in a grass field
Family
  • Male is a dog, female is a vixen, young are pups
  • Belong to the same family as the dog, gray wolf and coyote
Appearance
  • Small slender mammal
  • Pointy nose and pointy ears.
  • Body length is 100 to 112 cm. including tail
  • White throat and underbody
  • Legs have black paws with white "socks"
  • Long bushy tail, white at the tip
  • Beautiful fur is reddish or sandy in colour
  • Fur can also be brownish, black or silvery
Eating Habits & Hunting
  • Hunts for rabbits, hares, lemmings, squirrels and mice
  • Also eats birds, eggs, insects and snakes
  • Buries food
  • Very good sense of hearing
  • Picks up sounds of small animals in the grass, underground or under the snow (fox in the snow)
  • Keen sense of smell , can locate a nest of eggs
  • Hunts from dusk to dawn
  • Also raids chicken coops on farms
Enemies & Protection
  • Wolves, lynxes, fishers, bobcats, cougars and coyotes hunt it
  • Trapped for its beautiful fur
  • It runs along logs, doubles back or wades in water so hunters cannot follow its scent
  • Warns others with a sharp bark
  • Foxes living near people are hit by cars
  • Average life span is 3 to 5 years in the wild
  • Some may live over 10 years
Offspring
  • female (vixen) has 4 or 5 pups in the spring.
  • up to 10 pups could be in a litter
  • male brings food to the vixen so she can stay with the pups.
  • in a month pups can eat meat
  • family stays together till fall
  • by winter the young are on their own
  • many foxes die before they are 1 year old
A group of fox pups hiding behind a log
Other Facts
  • a group is called a "skulk"
  • foxes can carry a disease called "rabies" (a bite spreads the disease)
  • stories are written about the fox's cleverness and trickery
  • Other species of foxes are gray fox, swift fox, kit fox, arctic fox and fennec fox

  1. STRONG PROACTIVE LEADERSHIP, SAFE PROGRESSIVE COMMUNITIES

  1. County of Wetaskiwin Alberta Homepage

Contact Us

  1. Box 6960
    Wetaskiwin, AB
    T9A 2G5

    Physical Address
    243019A Highway 13

    County Office: 780-352-3321
    After Hours: 780-352-0005

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