Since fox is the member of the Canidae family it resembles dogs and coyotes so much that it almost becomes almost impossible to differentiate especially within the same fox subspecies. People often get confused when they come across a red fox because a red fox isn’t always red. It can be grey or black too. Besides, the red fox can be distinguishable from other fox subspecies in its feet and ears. A red fox will always black legs as well as black-tipped ears. The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is also more like a dog.
What Does a Red Fox Look Like?
Teeth, skull, and tail
The red fox has short legs and an elongated body. The tail is longer than half of its body length. It touches the ground when the animal is in standing posture. Red foxes are pretty agile animals. They are able to jump 6 feet high above the ground. The canine teeth are long and sharp. They are set in a fairly narrow skull.
Size and Weight
Red foxes are just about the size of a medium-sized dog but much lighter in weight. The average body length is measured at 45 – 90 cm with a 50-cm-long tail. Adult foxes weigh as much as 2.2 – 14 kilograms. Males weigh 15 – 20% greater than that of females (vixens). Red foxes can run at a speed of 50 km/h (30 mph).
Red fox coat
The color of the coat changes with the weather conditions and so is the coat fur. During winter, the fox displays a soft, silky but dense coat but the North American species has probably the silkiest guard hairs. Red fox isn’t always red. It can be deceiving in that it shows red, silver, black or even white coats (if albino).
What does an Arctic fox look like?
The average body length of an adult arctic fox is 46 – 58 cm. Unlike the red fox, the white fox male and female have the same body length. They have a 30 cm long tail with a shoulder height of 30 cm. Adults weigh around 3.2 – 9.2 kg. Polar foxes have a hearing range of 125 Hz–16 kHz. They can easily hear lemmings moving 4 – 5 inches under snow. Arctic foxes have an acute sense of smell–they can smell a carcass from as far a distance as 10 – 40 km.
