The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) has the appearance of a small dog and weighs
from 10 to 15 pounds and measures up to 2 feet long with another foot for
a bushy tail. The end of the tail is black, tipped with white. Because
the gray fox http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/mammals/land/gray-fox/ (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) frequently has quite a lot of red hair, it may be confused with the red fox.
Habitat:
The red fox is probably not native to Florida except in the northern
Panhandle. It is normally found in uplands mixed with
fields and weedy pastures. Unlike the gray fox it avoids heavily wooded
areas. You may even see one in your neighborhood!
Behavior:
The red fox is essentially a nocturnal animal, but occasionally feeds
during the day, and more at dawn and dusk.
Breeding takes place in late fall or early winter. A pair usually mates
for life. An average of 5 pups are born after a gestation period of about
53 days. At birth the pups are blind, helpless, and brownish-black.
They nurse for about two months and stay with their parents for about 6
months. The den site is usually a dug out underground burrow, through
they sometimes may enlarge the burrow of gopher tortoise or armadillo.
The dens are usually 20-40 feet long and 3-4 deep, with multiple
entrances.
Red foxes mainly eat small mammals such as rabbits, rats, and mice. If
food is plentiful, they may kill more than they immediately need, and
cache the extra in the ground.
