id you hear the one about the fox with the flea problem? The story goes that the flea-ridden fox picked up a stick and walked into the middle of the pond until just his nose was sticking out above the surface of the water.

As the fleas swarmed the stick to escape the water, the fox simply let go of the stick and emerged out of the pond “flea free.” I don’t think I believe that story even though foxes are considered cunning, wily, clever and able to fend for themselves.

I have heard foxes called cunning, intelligent and clever. But that story is a little far-fetched!

Red foxes are handsome looking animals with their red-orange coats, black legs, white throat patches and fluffy tails tipped in white. Ears at attention, along with sharp eyes and pointed muzzles, give them a look of intelligence.

One article I read to brush up on my fox facts went on to describe the foxes as the “Beau Brummel” of the wild. Of course, I had to look up who this person was and discovered George Bryan “Beau” Brummell was an important figure in Regency England and for many years the arbiter of men’s fashion. At one time he was a close friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV.

Small but mighty

Red foxes are about the size of beagles, weighing around 10 to 12 pounds on average. The bodies average about 40 inches from nose tips to tail tips, with the tails ranging from 12-14 inches in length.

Considered a native species to Pennsylvania, their origin is speculative. Some records indicate that they were imported for sport.

One other explanation is that the once dense woods were considered unsuitable habitat for the red foxes but once the wilds of Pennsylvania were settled and land was cleared, they migrated into our state.

Homes and pups

The home range for the male foxes is about 5 miles while the females only range 1 to 3 miles. The females are more the “homebodies” of the two and will use the same den year after year if it remains available.

Both males and females are solitary and hunt alone unless it is mating season, which begins sometime between the end of January and beginning of February.

It’s not clear if the males and females mate for life, but the males are monogamous during the breeding season. Both parents are attentive parents, feeding and caring for the young.

Foxes have one litter per year with four to seven young being born. The young will remain in the den for about a month and emerge to play and learn outside the den entrance, watching curiously and waiting for the parents to bring food.

They are weaned at about 3 months but may remain with the parents until the fall. Dens may consist of old groundhog holes, rocky crevices, hollow and fallen logs or the females may actually dig den sites. Sometimes the right den ends up being something as simple as a shed that is in the right spot far enough away from human disturbances.

The dens are not used for anything other than birthing, nursing and raising the young. As winter approaches the dens are abandoned. Both females and males sleep in the open countryside, relying on their thick coats and bushy tails to keep warm.

Why are they called red foxes?

Red is the dominant color resulting in the naming of these foxes, but litter mates may vary by having coat colors of black or silver as well. Of course, as it is with the black bears and the gray squirrels, the dominant colors have been responsible for the naming of these animals.

Their diets consist of quite a bit of vegetation in the warmer months, apples, berries, wild grapes, grasses, and grains then switching over to mice, voles, moles and shrews, young rabbits, fawn, small birds as well as eggs.

The cunning foxes do get in trouble with farmers because they will raid henhouses if other prey cannot be easily found.

Their voices are compared to short yips or barks, not unlike a small dog’s bark, but during mating season those yips and barks become long, drawn-out yells, yowls and screeches. There have been reports of red foxes coming together to bark and yowl like coyotes!

As far as enemies go the red foxes don’t have many if humans are not considered. Bobcats and eagles take them as prey but diseases like sarcoptic mange and rabies as well as fleas and internal parasites are more of a threat to their populations.

Jeannie Carl is a naturalist at the Carbon County Environmental Education Center in Summit Hill. The center rehabilitates injured animals and educates the public on a variety of wildlife found in the area. For information on the Carbon County Environmental Center, visit www.carboneec.org.