There are two species of foxes in Missouri; both are identified
by their predominant coloration which gives them part of their
common name. The rest of the common name, fox, is of Anglo-Saxon
origin and refers to their crafty behavior.
Description
Red foxes vary in length from 36-46 inches (914-1,168 mm) and in weight from 8-15 pounds (3.6-6.8 kg). Gray foxes tend to be smaller, although their extremes in length and weight are similar to red foxes.
Distribution and abundance
Both foxes live throughout Missouri. The red fox is more common, however, in the northern part of the state and the gray fox in the southern.
In the last three decades, the red fox population has declined
while the gray fox population has remained more stable. 
Habitat and home
Red foxes prefer the borders of forested areas and adjacent open lands while gray foxes live in wooded areas and fairly open brushland. Gray foxes make dens in hollow logs, hollow trees, under rock piles, or occasionally in the ground. These dens are filled with grass, leaves or shredded bark. During most of the year, red foxes sleep on the ground in a convenient, sheltered spot. During the breeding season, though, they provide a den for the young. This is often a modified woodchuck burrow but may be dug by the female fox. Dens may be on the sunny side of a hill or bank in an open field, along a fence row, at the edge of timber or in a natural rock cavity. About four feet (1.2 m) under ground is a chamber containing a grass bed for the young. Several smaller, temporary dens may be located nearby where the pups can be moved in time of danger.
Habits
Foxes are primarily nocturnal but may come out in daylight, especially in late morning or early evening. Because they often travel over the same routes, worn and well-marked trails soon develop. Both species show the dog-like trait of rolling on dead carcasses and other strong-smelling objects. In contrast to red foxes, gray foxes readily climb trees. They climb out of curiosity, to search for food, to take refuge from dogs or to lie on limbs and sun. Gray foxes are less cunning than red foxes and are regarded as easier to trap. Both species can run about 26 miles (41.6 km) per hour top speed but slow down after the initial spurt. During the season when the young are being fed, adults usually travel less than one mile (1.6 km) in any direction from the den; but throughout the rest of the year, they may cover an area 5-10 miles (8-16 km) in diameter.
Foods
Rabbits, rats and mice form the bulk of the diet of foxes, and this portion of their feeding habits is considered beneficial. Additional items include other small mammalian species, wild birds, insects and only a small amount of plant material. To a certain extent, they do feed on small livestock and poultry, but the economic loss is not as great as it appears because doubtless some of this is carrion. When available, about a pound of meat is eaten at a feeding. If food is plentiful, more is killed than the fox can eat. This surplus usually is buried in the ground, covered with grass or leaves, and sometimes sprinkled with urine. The fox may return to his food cache from time to time, even if not hungry, to look at and play with some of the items.
Reproduction
The mating period of red foxes is usually in January and February; in gray foxes, the peak occurs in February or early March. Pregnancy averages 53 days, and both species have a single litter annually. Red fox litters generally are born in March or April while gray fox litters arrive from March to mid-May. There are one to 10 young in a litter, but the usual number is between three and six. The female stays in the den with the young the first few days after their birth and the male brings food to her. Later on, she hunts at night and nurses by day while he hunts more by day.
At birth, the pups are blind and helpless. They weigh about 3 1/2 ounces (99 g). Their eyes open around eight days after birth. When they are about a month old, the pups begin to come out of the den and play in front of it with such objects as bones, horse dung and left-over food items. They are fed here, too, by the adults. Although the parents carry away the droppings and foods that spoil, the outside of a fox den has an untidy appearance and often an unpleasant odor. If the young are moved to another den, the parents frequently take the play things along.
When the young are about 10 weeks old, they leave the den vicinity for the first time and accompany their parents on hunting trips. The family disperses in fall. The young breed the first year following their birth.
Importance
Foxes are trapped for their fur which is used for trimming, scarfs, coats and jackets. Fox hunting with hounds is considered great sport and raising fox hounds is an accessory business and pleasure. Still another type of sport is calling up foxes into gun range with a decoy call that imitates the voice of a frightened rabbit or some small rodent.
Foxes feed upon rodents and help check these abundant forms. Because of the recent increased demand for long-haired fur, there has been heavy trapping pressure on foxes, especially the red fox. The hunting and trapping seasons on these species are closely monitored by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Management
Where foxes are numerous,economic loss can be avoided by reducing the vegetation around poultry houses, providing an enclosed area for chickens, having an alert and aggressive dog and trapping the offending fox individuals.
This series is abstracted from the revised edition of The Wild Mammals of Missouri by Charles and Elizabeth Schwartz. For more detailed information about this species and other mammals in Missouri, refer to this book. Your school library may have it or can borrow it for you from the inter-library loan service. This book can be purchased from the University of Missouri Press, P.O. Box 1644, Columbia, MO 65211, or the Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102.>
Missouri Mammals
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© 1981 Missouri Conservation Commission
