Flora and fauna
in forest park Háj-Nicovô

Red fox

Vulpes vulpes

Red fox

Classification: mammals
Size: 50 – 78 cm, 3 – 10 kg
Lifespan: 9 – 12 years
Red List Category: LC – least concern

It is one of the most common European beasts of prey with a typical rusty coloring and a fluffy tail. It inhabits forests and fields but is also found near human settlements and sometimes even in larger cities. The red fox is active mainly at dusk and night but also during the day when raising its young.

It hunts all prey of reasonable size (rodents, hares, rabbits, birds) but also eats invertebrates, carcasses and even fruit. The fox has a special way of hunting, called mouse hunting, in which it catches its prey with one or several swift jumps.

Foxes inhabit underground dens with a branched system of corridors with several exits. Their inhabited shelter can be 5-6 m deep, scented with a typical fox odor. The den is lined with fur, and in April, a fox gives birth to 4-5 cubs there. The fox lives a solitary life and only lives in a pair at the time of reproduction and caring for the young.

Foxes are the main transmitters of the rabies virus and also echinococcosis disease, caused by the tapeworm (Echinococcus multiocularis). It is a hunted animal with a year-round hunting season.

Do you know?
Besides sound signals, they also use scent marks to communicate with each other. For this they use a special scent gland at the root of the tail, the so-called violet.

Listen to the voice recording
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