8 Reasons Why Foxes Are So Cute and Fascinating

Foxes are cute because of the small faces, big ears, and bushy tails, and they are interesting for what they do. The eight facts below cover four species: the red fox, the Arctic fox, the gray fox, and the fennec fox. Each fact says which one it is about and where it comes from.

Foxes also play. Gray fox and fennec fox pups play when they are young, and you can see the playful and mischievous personalities of fox cubs for yourself in our video of cubs with dog toys.

1. Red Foxes Jump Toward The North-East When They Hunt

Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) hunt mice and voles with a move called mousing. The fox listens, then jumps high and lands on the prey from above. A Czech team of 23 wildlife biologists and hunters watched 84 wild red foxes in 65 places and recorded 592 mousing jumps. The foxes tended to jump toward the north-east, about 20 degrees clockwise of magnetic north.

The direction mattered most when the prey was hidden in tall grass or snow. In that cover, jumps aimed within 40 degrees of magnetic north (340 to 40 degrees on a compass) succeeded 72.5 percent of the time, jumps aimed at 160 to 220 degrees, roughly south, succeeded 60 percent of the time, and jumps in all other directions succeeded under 18 percent of the time. The direction did not change with time of day, season, cloud cover, or wind.

The researchers suggest the foxes use the Earth's magnetic fields to judge how far away the prey is. Nobody has shown how a fox would sense the field, and a National Geographic report on the study quotes a magnetic-sense researcher who calls the idea speculative.

2. The Arctic Fox Has Thick Winter Fur And Furry Paws

The white-phase Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) has a beautiful white coat in winter that works as camouflage on snow. The coat also helps it live in the cold. The Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators says this fox can survive temperatures as low as -58° Fahrenheit (-50 degrees Celsius), and that its deep, thick winter fur gives superior insulation. Its muzzle, ears, and legs are short, which helps it hold heat, and the soles of its feet are furred so it can walk on snow and ice.

The white coat is the winter coat. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game says Arctic foxes molt twice a year, and some Arctic foxes are blue, a charcoal color that stays dark all year. An adult weighs 6 to 10 pounds.

3. Gray Foxes Have Partly Retractable Claws

The gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) has partly retractable claws. Animal Diversity Web, run by the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, says the gray fox uses its claws to climb trees when a predator chases it on the ground. Fact 7 covers where else it uses trees.

4. Researchers In Novosibirsk Bred Tame Foxes

A long-running Soviet experiment took place at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Novosibirsk, Russia, and Dmitri Belyaev started it. It used silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes), the red fox in a dark color form. The foxes on the fur farms where the experiment started still growled, bit, or ran away from people. The team bred only the foxes that were least afraid of people.

A 2009 review by the experiment's own researchers says the selected foxes became dog-like. They learned to read human gestures and glances. Some had white patches on the head, floppy ears, or curly tails, the same markers seen in many domestic animals. The coat changes appeared after 8 to 10 generations of selection.

5. Most Foxes Do Not Live In Packs

Wolves live in packs. Red foxes do not. Animal Diversity Web says red foxes are solitary and that a home range is held by one adult male and one or two adult females with their young. A red fox home range covers 5 to 12 square kilometers, about 2 to 4.6 square miles. Gray foxes also live alone for most of the year and spend time with a mate and young only around the breeding season.

The fennec fox is the exception on this list. The Smithsonian's National Zoo says fennec foxes can live in family groups of up to ten, although they hunt alone at night.

6. The Fennec Fox Is The Smallest Fox

The fennec fox (Vulpes zerda) is the smallest member of the dog family. The Smithsonian's National Zoo gives its body length as 14 to 16 inches, plus a 7 to 12 inch tail, and its weight as 2 to 3 pounds. Its ears grow 4 to 6 inches long, the largest ears for body size of any canid. The ears let heat leave the body and help the fox hear prey moving under sand in the Sahara and Arabian deserts.

A fennec can also jump. Animal Diversity Web says a full-grown adult can jump straight up about 0.7 meters (28 inches) and more than 1 meter (39 inches) from a standing position.

7. Gray Foxes Den In Trees

Animal Diversity Web records gray fox dens in hollow tree trunks and limbs as high as 10 meters (33 feet) above the forest floor, as well as in rock crevices, under large rocks, and in underground burrows. The same page lists the gray fox as mostly active at night.

8. Red Fox Kits Are Born Blind And Tiny

A newborn red fox weighs 50 to 150 grams, about 1.8 to 5.3 ounces, and cannot see. Animal Diversity Web says the pups open their eyes 9 to 14 days after birth, leave the den at 4 or 5 weeks, and stay with their mother until the autumn after they were born. Fennec fox pups open their eyes at 8 to 11 days, according to the National Zoo.

So . . . Why Are Foxes So Cute?

Cute is an opinion, but the animals give people plenty to like. Gray fox pups play fight, according to Animal Diversity Web. Fennec fox pups start to play inside the den at 4 weeks old and outside the den entrance at 5 weeks, and adult fennecs keep playing. Add the sharp ears and the big tail, and a fox is easy to watch.

People also call foxes mischievous. What the sources describe is quickness: a red fox leaps and pins a mouse, a fennec fox jumps more than 3 feet from a standing start, and a gray fox climbs a tree. People also ask if foxes are soft. The Arctic fox has dense winter fur, but wild foxes should not be handled.

Can Foxes Be Kept As Pets?

Foxes look like small dogs, so many people wonder about keeping one. There are a few things to consider before you do.

Laws Differ By Place

Rules differ by state and country. Some places ban pet foxes and some require a permit. Check with your state or local wildlife agency before you do anything else.

Wild Habits Do Not Go Away

The farm-bred silver foxes in the Russian experiment still growled, bit, or avoided people before the team began selecting for tameness. Wild foxes also dig: the National Zoo says a fennec fox den can have tunnels up to 32 feet (10 meters) long.

Rabies

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game says rabies is prevalent in most Arctic fox populations. Do not touch or feed a wild fox, and get medical advice right away after a bite.

Help Foxes Without Keeping One

If you love foxes and cannot keep one, a licensed wildlife rescue or sanctuary near you may take donations or volunteers.

Check out our vast rescue collection. We have apparel for all the rescue advocates out there!

FAQs

Are baby foxes born blind?

Yes. Fox pups are born blind. Red fox pups open their eyes 9 to 14 days after birth, and fennec fox pups open theirs after 8 to 11 days.

Are foxes nocturnal?

Mostly. Animal Diversity Web lists red foxes as nocturnal and crepuscular, meaning active at night and at dawn and dusk, and gray foxes as primarily nocturnal. The National Zoo says fennec foxes are nocturnal.

Are gray foxes good climbers?

Yes. Gray foxes use their claws to climb trees when a predator chases them, and they have been found denning in tree hollows up to 10 meters (33 feet) high.

What is a female fox called?

A female fox is called a vixen. Animal Diversity Web uses the word for female Arctic foxes in a family group.

Sources

• Cerveny, J., et al. "Directional preference may enhance hunting accuracy in foraging foxes." Biology Letters 7, 2011. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
• Yong, E. "Foxes use the Earth's magnetic field as a targeting system." National Geographic, January 11, 2011. nationalgeographic.com.
• Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO). "Arctic fox" wildlife guideline. aeco.no.
• Alaska Department of Fish and Game. "Arctic Fox." adfg.alaska.gov.
• Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), fennec fox (Vulpes zerda), and Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) accounts. animaldiversity.org.
• Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. "Fennec fox." nationalzoo.si.edu.
• Trut, L., Oskina, I., and Kharlamova, A. "Animal evolution during domestication: the domesticated fox as a model." BioEssays 31, 2009. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.