Quick facts
Length
62–72 cm, plus a tail of about 40 cm
Weight
5–7 kg
Lifespan
Usually 2–3 years in the wild
Diet
Omnivore: small mammals, birds, frogs, worms, berries and fruit
Active
Mostly at night; sometimes by day
Status
Native and widespread
How to recognise a fox
Look for orange-red fur above and white below, black-tipped ears, dark brown “socks” and a long bushy tail, called the brush, often with a white tip.
Where do foxes live?
Almost everywhere: grassland, moorland, farmland, woods, towns and gardens. They live across mainland Britain and Ireland but are absent from the Scottish islands, the Isle of Man, the Isles of Scilly and the Channel Islands. Foxes raise their cubs in an underground den called an earth.
What do foxes eat?
Almost anything: voles, mice and rabbits, birds, frogs, beetles and earthworms, plus berries and fruit. Town foxes also scavenge from bins.
Signs to look for
- Footprints: about 5 cm long and 4 cm wide, with four toes in a neat diamond shape
- Earths: entrances taller than they are wide, often with food remains outside in spring
- Droppings: left in obvious places such as tussocks and paths
- Sounds: barks and eerie screams on winter nights
Its link to the badger
Foxes sometimes move into unused tunnels of a large badger sett, and the two can live side by side. But foxes are also one of the few predators of badger cubs, so badgers don't always welcome them.
How you can help
Never hand-feed foxes. Keep bin bags secure, and check garden netting, drains and goal nets where cubs could get tangled. For an injured fox, call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.