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The Rascally Red Fox
The rascally Red Fox is found in all of Ohio’s 88 counties. Their preferred habitat is a mixture of woodlands and open field, with the edge area being most favored. Red foxes are adaptable and have learned to live alongside humans. They can commonly be seen in suburbs and in smaller communities.
The red fox lives in a den at different times of the year. They typically will enlarge an abandoned groundhog burrow so it is 15 to 20 feet long and has several entrances. When not using a den, the fox will curl up under dense brush or in a hollow tree and wrap his tail around his nose to help keep warm.
Although rusty red is the color you expect to see on a red fox, they do have two other color phases that are not uncommon. These variations are solid black and silver. The way to be sure if it is a red fox is that the tail will always have a white tip!
The fox has a body that looks a bit like a dog. It has a thin body, long legs and a long, pointed nose. The fox has a long, bushy tail that is over a foot long. Its legs, feet and the tips of its large ears are tipped with black. The red foxes cheeks, throat and belly are all white.
 The red fox is nocturnal, but can be also be found out hunting in the evenings and early mornings. They are omnivores eating mice, rabbits, grasshoppers, crayfish and other small animals. The red fox is a predator and helps lower the population of rodents. They also eats fruits and berries. Even after they are full, the fox will continue to hunt for food, saving extras under leaves or dirt to be eaten later.
The average length of a red fox is about 22 to 30 inches, but well over 3 feet long when you add the length of its tail. They weigh between 8 and 15 pounds, with males being a little heavier than the females.
The red fox is known for being very intelligent and cunning, which his where the saying “sly as a fox” came from. Actually, the fox has a very good sense of hearing, smell and sight. These senses help the fox to be close to humans and still avoid them most of the time.
The rascally Red Fox really isn’t so rascally after all!
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