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Home , Birth (Once Upon a Time), Red fox

YVA MOMATIUK & JOHN EASTCOTT/MINDEN PICTURES

by Hannah Schardt his magnificentred just fine. It likes to hunt before T looks perfectly at home sunrise and after sunset, anyway. in a golden meadow. But a And its thick, soft coat keeps it fox is also at home in leafy plenty warm. Fox for All Seasons woods, on a frozen tundra— In fall, a hangs out Fall is a fine time to be a red fox. But so is winter, spring, or summer! even in a big city in the middle mostly alone. The babies have of summer! grown up and are on their own. There are 12 different kinds of So now is the time to focus on living in many parts of the food. That’s because, even for a world. But red foxes are found in master hunter such as a fox, win- more places than any other. And ter can mean slim pickings. And they seem to thrive in all kinds winter is just around of weather. You could call them the corner. the anytime, anywhere foxes.

FALL The days are getting shorter and the weather is getting cooler. But for the red fox, that is

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A wintry wind stops this fox WINTER Even a rodent tunneling in its tracks. But a red fox In cold places, red foxes grow beneath the snow isn’t won’t take shelter—it stays even longer, thicker winter safe from a keen-eared red out in all but the very worst coats. Instead of hiding out in a fox. A leap (1) . . . a dive (2) weather. Thank goodness den, a red fox will usually just . . . and a snow-covered for coats! curl up right out in the open. snack! (3) Wrapped in its big, bushy tail, the fox stays nice and warm— red fox has super-sharp . 2 even when it’s completely It can hear a squeaking covered by snow. from as far away as the length Finding food is a bigger of a football field! And when it problem. Small such as hears that squeak or a rustling mice, ground squirrels, birds, in leaves or footsteps under and lizards make up most of snow, it leaps into action! So a red fox’s diet. And in some even though there isn’t as much places, many of those prey food around, a red fox will find animals are hard to find during whatever food there is. the winter. Good thing that a 3

In the winter, every bite of food is precious. A red fox will against almost anything—even a hungry —to get a meaty meal. ; CHRIS O’REILLY/NATUREPL.COM (1, 2, & 3) IGOR SHPILENOK/NATUREPL.COM (8); STEFAN HUWILER/ROLFNP.COM (9B) >

8 9 What a feast! The fox mom By the end of that time, the ba- at left has several mouths bies’ eyes have opened, they can DONALD M. JONES (11TL); LENNIE & USCHI RUE III/RUE WILDLIFE PHOTOS (11TR) to feed. So she fills her hear, and they have sharp little own mouth with a ground teeth. Mom still nurses them, but squirrel and a bird, and they can eat bits of meat, too. It’s then takes the prey home time to start exploring! to the den. SUMMER Young kits need to become top- Spring notch hunters—fast. They prac- For a red fox, spring means one tice on small animals brought thing: babies! Mom and Dad Fox by their parents. And they stalk At first, young foxes will mate in late winter. By spring, and wrestle with their littermates. hunt anything—even - Mom huddles down in an under- Older brothers and sisters may flies (above). A single ground den. She gives birth to a help feed and care for the kits, won’t make much of a meal, litter of four to six kits, or baby too. The little foxes need all the but catching it is good prac- foxes. When they are born, the help they can get. In just a few tice for when this youngster kits are about as long as dollar short months, it will be fall again. is on its own. Wrestling with bills and completely helpless. And these young foxes must be a brother is also good prac- They can’t hear, can’t see, and ready to go off and survive on tice—and good fun! (left) don’t have any teeth. their own—anytime, Mom stays with the kits anywhere. = around the clock for the next two to three weeks. Snug inside her den, she nurses them and keeps them warm. (See below.)

10 ANDREW COOPER/NATUREPL.COM (10-11) >; TOM & PAT LEESON (10TL) 11