Red Fox |
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The red fox was introduced to the mid-Atlantic region from England in the mid-18th century to be used by landowners for hunting with hounds. Its adaptability to many habitats -- from tundra to city streets -- allowed it to flourish until unregulated trapping and hunting took its toll. The collapse of the fur industry and preventive measures of poultry farmers curtailed some losses and allowed the species to recover.
Like other North American canids the red fox has a doglike frame-a slender body and legs and slim muzzle, upright triangular ears and full tail, usually tipped in white. While its cousins the wolf and dog are social, the red fox tends to be more solitary, cautious and tense, and like its 'cunning' namesake in literature apparently is capable of learning from experience. The smaller gray fox is the only other breed of fox in Maryland.
For more information:
Photo of adult red fox in meadow, courtesy of Pennsylvania Game
Commission
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Today the
red fox roams free throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Its
omnivorous diet includes rabbits, snakes, insects, birds, mice, berries and
fruits. Except for breeding females – which are thought to mate for life -- the red
fox doesn't usually use a den and will sometimes sleep out in
the open, wrapping its bushy tail around its nose to stay warm.