THE NORTHERN PLAINS RED FOX
The largest North American red fox subspecies; it has long and slender legs and pointed muzzle, and long brush-like tail.
A large-sized subspecies of North American Red Fox, with very large and broad ears, and very
long tail. Pelage is golden yellow or pale yellowish fulvous, becoming almost buffy white on
face and posterior part of back. The cross coloured foxes are more commonly seen in this subspecies.
Throat and chest are white. Face, top of head and base of ears
pale straw yellow becoming pale fulvous around eyes, with a darker area on each side of nose.
Muzzle slender and pointed, white on upper lip. Ears large, pointed, erect, black backed and
usually white inside. Legs abruptly red or rusty fulvous, in striking contrast with yellow of body.
Black of feet very pure but restricted in area. Tail is long, golden yellow at the base, without
black hairs, with the rest of tail to white tip buffy, strongly intermixed with long black hairs,
especially on underside. Females are smaller than males.
ABOUT THE CROSS FOXES
Cross foxes are a color phase or morph of the red fox species found mainly in North America. They are not a separate species but rather a variation in coloration within the red fox population. The name "cross fox" refers to the dark cross-shaped pattern on their back, which is formed by a dark stripe running down the middle of the back and another stripe across the shoulders.
The cross fox's coloration is a result of a genetic variation that produces a mix of red, black, and silver fur. Their fur is predominantly reddish-brown, but with black fur occurring along the back and shoulders. The black fur often forms a distinct cross pattern, which gives them their name. Some cross foxes may have silver or gray fur on the sides, while others can display variations in color intensity and pattern.
These foxes are primarily found in the northern regions of North America, including parts of Canada, Alaska, and the northern United States. They inhabit a variety of habitats, including forests, tundra, grasslands, and even suburban areas.
Reproduction and behavior
- Gestation: 51-53 days.
- Young per birth: 1-9.
- Weaning: 56-90 days.
- Sexual maturity: 12 months.
- Life span: around 5 years.
- Breeding season: January and February.
Young are born in March or April.
Dens may be burrows dug by themselves, abandoned ones previously
used by other Foxes or other species, various natural cavities such as
caves, hollow trees and logs, openings in very thick brush or piles of
wood debris, or in structures such as barns and other outbuildings,
grain elevators, haystacks and culverts. Some dens may be reused year
after year.
At birth, pups weigh about 100 grams and are blind, and will
remain in the den for 3-4 weeks. During this period, both parents work
to bring food to the den. Foxes often have more than one den and if a
den is disturbed, they will move their young to another den. All juveniles
disperse when they are 6-8 months old. The longest dispersal distances
are made by males. Dispersal by adults also occurs, usually in response to
reduced availability of food on the home range. Social behavior: Mated pairs during the breeding season are monogamous.
Diet and interaction with the environment
Their diet consists in rabbits, mice, ground squirrels, small mammals,
birds, carrion, poultry, insects, fruits, and small amounts of plant
material are eaten by foxes; when rabbits and mice are abundant,
they make up the bulk of the food supply, but if they are scarce, they
will turn to other less easily caught species such as muskrats and
game birds. They also eat fruit, insects and carrion.
Main predators:
Coyote, Wolf, cougar, lynx. Most active at night, though it may be seen
hunting or traveling at any time of day. Solitary hunters and do not hunt
in packs. Except for the period when the young are small, they do not
use dens extensively. During the day they rest in some secluded spot
or on some open ridge where they can see any approaching danger.
Even in the coldest weather they do not usually seek the shelter or den.
They are territorial and home ranges of family groups rarely overlap.
Habitat:
Native to Canada and United States, is found in central
Canada, from west side of Great Lakes and southwest side of Hudson
Bay throughout northwest Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and East Alberta; and in Northern-central United States, Northern Plains, including
Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas
and Missouri. Subspecific status of foxes in Nunavut is unclear.
They inhabit wide variety of habitats including prairies, forests, small
patches of timber interspersed with pastures, agricultural fields
and urban areas. Their distribution and density may be limited by
competition with and avoidance of coyotes.
Conservation status: least concern, it's one of the most common ref fox species / subspecies. Their only concern is due to the habitat loss due to human action or interaction with coyotes.
Physiognomic information:
- Body length: 65-70 cm
- Tail length: 39-42 cm
- Height: 38-45 cm
- Weight: 3.2-11.3 kg
- Skull: 15 cm
Taxonomy:
The North American red foxes have been traditionally considered either as subspecies of the Old World red foxes, Vulpes vulpes, or subspecies of their own species, Vulpes fulva. Due to the opinion that North American red foxes were introduced from Europe, all North American red foxes have been seen as conspecific with Vulpes vulpes; however, genetic analyses of global red fox haplotypes indicates that the North American red foxes have been genetically isolated from the Old World populations for 400,000 years, prompting possible application of Vulpes fulva to all North American red foxes.
At least 9 subspecies are generally recognized in North America (Aubry, 1983 and 2009, Kamler and Ballard, 2002; Sacks, 2010): Vulpes fulva fulva (Eastern United States),
Vulpes fulva rubricosa (central and E Canada),
Vulpes fulva regalis,
Vulpes fulva alascensis (boreal Alaska),
Vulpes fulva abietorum (boreal Canada),
Vulpes fulva macroura (Rocky Mountains),
Vulpes fulva cascadensis (Cascade Range),
Vulpes fulva necator (Sierra Nevada) and
Vulpes fulva patwin (Sacramento Valley).
Castello (2018) has formalized treatment of Vulpes fulva as a separate species from the Old World Vulpes vulpes. In 2014, Mark J. Statham among others released a study that supports Vulpes fulva as a separate species from the Old World Vulpes vulpes. More about the Vulpes vulpes fulva and Vulpes fulva discussion:
Gallery:
Due to the similarity in appearance between North American Red Foxes, some of the images may be erroneous. That's why I haven't found any videos about this subspecies either, if you think you have any image or video of the Vulpes fulva regalis let me know in the comments or contact me on any of my social networks (@etzharai).
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