Red Fox Fun Facts

Did you know ...

... that the first squatter in Alaska was probably the red fox? Red foxes typically inhabit abandoned wolf dens or enlarged ground squirrel or marmot burrows. Foxes remodel these smaller dwellings to make their own dens fifteen to twenty feet long.

Red foxes are practical and provident at mealtime, and hardly picky—they'll eat just about anything from muskrats and squirrels to plants and eggs. When the hunting is good, red foxes will bury food for future use. They've been observed digging up their caches and inspecting them—apparently just to make sure everything is in order.

In the early 1900s, red foxes were introduced on many islands in southeastern Alaska and reared on commercial fox farms. The farms are gone now, but many foxes remain. Boaters can sometimes hear these vocal animals exercising their large repertoire of howls, barks and whines.

Red foxes seem particularly savvy to the methods of their former masters and are notoriously difficult to trap. The slightest trace of human scent will send the red fox off to find an easier meal.

Learn more about red fox from the Alaska Wildlife Notebook Series.