Wetlands Mammals Red Fox basics The red fox has orangish-red fur on its back, sides and head, and white fur under its neck and on its chest. It has a long bushy tail tipped in white, prominent pointed black ears and black legs and feet. It weighs 7-15 lbs., is 22”-27” long (w/o tail) and has a shoulder ht. of 15”-16”. They are solitary animals with home ranges that vary in size depending on the quality of the habitat. In good areas ranges may be 2-5 sq. miles; in poorer habitats ranges are larger, 8-20 sq. miles. During parts of the year adjacent ranges may overlap somewhat, but parts may be regularly defended. Ranges are occupied by an adult male and one or two adult females with their young. Animals remain in the same home range for life. They live an average of 3 yrs. in the wild and 10 to 12 years in captivity. Their top speed is about 30 mph, and they can leap as high as 6 ft. Most red foxes that are taken by natural predators are young pups. Adult red foxes may also be attacked by coyotes, wolves, or other predators, but this is rarely in order to eat them. The most significant predators on red foxes are humans. habitat The red fox makes its home along the edges of forests, in tilled fields and near marshes. They prefer habitats with a diversity of vegetation types. Except for breeding females, the fox doesn't usually use a den. Sometimes it will sleep in the open, wrapping its bushy tail around its nose to stay warm. When it does use a den, it will usually find an abandoned rabbit or marmot den instead of making its own. adaptations Activity: Mainly nocturnal or active at twilight, but will sometimes go out in the day. Senses: A fox has excellent hearing and sense of smell, and depends on these two senses in locating prey. It can hear a mouse squeak 100 ft. away and will dig in dirt or snow to catch prey. They quickly see moving objects, but might not notice objects that are still. Communication: Foxes communicate with each other with growls, yelps, and short yapping barks. It also makes scent stations by urinating at various spots to tell foxes in the area that another fox is present. food The red fox is an omnivore and its diet includes fruits, berries and grasses. It also eats birds and small mammals like squirrels, rabbits and mice and invertebrates like crickets, caterpillars, grasshoppers, beetles and crayfish. They also eat carrion. Red foxes store extra food under leaves, snow or dirt and are very good at relocating these caches. Foxes are quick, skillful hunters and can easily catch a dodging rabbit. The fox can also creep silently toward a bird, rush up and pounce on it. They have a characteristic manner of hunting mice. The fox stands motionless, listening and watching intently for a mouse it has detected. It then leaps high and brings the forelimbs straight down forcibly to pin the mouse to the ground. They eat between 1 and 2 lbs. of food each day. breeding The red fox is sexually mature at 10 months, mates annually, January through March with a gestation period of 52 days. The average litter size is 5, weaned in 56–70 days. The female will prepare multiple dens right after mating, using the extra dens if the original den is disturbed. A fox den may be underground, in a cave, among rocks, or in a hollow log or tree. Foxes will dig their own dens or modify burrows abandoned by other animals. An underground den may be as long as 75 feet and have several entrances. A main tunnel leads to several chambers that the animals use for nests and for storing food. Two pairs of red foxes may share one burrow and the same den is often used over a number of generations. Young remain in the den for 4 to 5 weeks, where they are cared for and nursed by their mother. Males and females, and sometimes their older offspring, cooperate to care for the pups. The male brings the female food during the first few weeks. The kits start playing outside the den when they are about a month old. The mother begins feeding her kits regurgitated food, but eventually she will bring them live prey to "play" with and eat. Playing with live prey helps the young kits develop the skills they will need for hunting. The young remain with their parents at least until the fall of the year they were born in and will sometimes remain longer, especially females. They settle in areas as nearby as 6 miles and as far away as almost 250. key facts Weight: 7–15 lbs. Length w/o tail: 22–27 in. Shoulder height: 15–16 in. Sharp Senses: Using their keen hearing and an excellent sense of smell they can hear a mouse squeak over 100 feet away and will frequently dig in the dirt or snow to catch prey. Diet: As an omnivore the fox eats invertebrates, fruits and vegetation, small birds and mammals. It eats between 1 and 2 lbs. each day. Hunting: It has a distinctive hunting technique: freeze, listen, leap, and pin down. Breeding: The female prepares multiple dens after breeding but except for raising young, foxes rarely use a den. Communications: The fox makes urine scent stations to communicate with other foxes. Ecological Role: Red foxes help to control populations of their prey animals, such as rodents and rabbits. They also disperse seeds by eating fruit. In some areas where foxes had been killed off, rodents increased so much that farmers brought in other foxes. Coyote basics The coyote has a grizzled grey or reddish-grey coat with buff underparts, long, rusty or yellowish legs, a bushy tail, arresting yellow eyes and prominent ears. It weighs 20-40 lbs. is 30-39” long w/o tail and has a shoulder height of 23-26”. They keep their young in or near the den while they are young so that the pups aren’t killed by predators and competitors such as wolves and mountain lions. Their range is 12 miles in diameter around the den with travel along fixed routes or trails; usually defended only during denning season. They live 10 years in the wild, 18 years in captivity. Top speed: Coyotes are capable of running at speeds up to 45 mph and they can jump distances of up to 13 ft. They are good swimmers and poor climbers. habitat Coyotes are adaptable utilizing a wide range of habitats including forests, clearcuts, farms and woodlots and prefer habitats without wolves. Because of their tolerance for human activities they are sometimes seen near farm buildings and at the edge of towns. The typical den is a wide mouthed tunnel with several entrances, terminating in an enlarged nesting area. Coyotes will dig their own burrows or enlarge those of other mammals. Dens are used year after year. The coyote was native only to the prairies and arid west but as settlers moved across the country, altering the landscape and eliminating wolves, a new niche was opened up to them. They now thrive in the Western Hemisphere from the Pacific to Atlantic Ocean. adaptations Activity: Coyotes are nocturnal but can occasionally be seen during daylight. They are secretive, and near human habitations are active early in the morning and late evening. Senses: They have acute hearing and sense of smell but their sight is less developed and used primarily to note movement. Communication: Coyotes use auditory, visual, olfactory and tactile signals to communicate. They are the most vocal of all North American wild mammals, using 3 distinct calls, the squeak, distress call and howl call, all consisting of a quick series of yelps, followed by a falsetto howl. Howling may act to announce where territories are to other packs. Coyotes also howl when two or more members of a pack re-unite and to announce to each other their location. They use stumps, posts, bushes or rocks as "scent posts" on which they urinate and defecate to mark territory. food Coyotes have versatile eating habits. They are essentially carnivorous; 90% of their diet is mammalian. They eat small mammals and occasionally eat birds, snakes, large insects and other large invertebrates. They prefer fresh meat, but eat large amounts of carrion. Coyotes are less likely to form packs than are wolves. Hunting, which takes place around the den, is done individually, in pairs or in family units depending on prey availability. Coyotes hunt animals in interesting ways. When on a "mousing" expedition, they slowly stalk through the grass and sniff out the mouse. Suddenly, with all four legs held stiffly together, the coyotes stiffen and pounce on the prey. Hunting deer, on the other hand, calls for teamwork. Coyotes may take turns pursuing the deer until it tires, or they may drive it towards a hidden member of the pack. They can run up to 40 mph. Coyotes sometimes form "hunting partnerships" with badgers. The two move together, using their keen sense of smell to locate burrowing rodents and badgers then dig them up with their powerful claws. Both predators then share the proceeds. The average distance covered in a night's hunting is 2½ miles. Eating almost anything it can chew the coyote is an opportunistic and cunning hunter. Part of what makes coyotes so successful at living in so many different places is the fact that they will eat almost anything, including human trash and household pets in suburban areas.