An adult red fox weighs from 3 to 14 kilograms (6.6 to 30.8 pounds). Its head and body are 45.5 to 90 centimeters (18 to 35.4 inches) long, not counting the tail.

A red fox can run about 30 miles per hour for a short time.

A red fox has five toes on each front foot and four on each back foot.

Red foxes have excellent hearing. A red fox can hear low sounds very well, including rodents digging underground.

Red foxes are active at night, and around dusk and dawn. A fox that is hunting a mouse can stand still and listen for it. It creeps close, the way a cat does, and then it pounces.

Red foxes are omnivores, which means they eat both plants and animals. They eat rodents and rabbits, and they also eat fruit.

A red fox can store extra food by hiding it. It hides the food in a den or buries it in the ground.

A young red fox is called a kit. Kits are born in a den, which is a hole in the ground. They stay in the den until they are about 4 to 5 weeks old.

Newborn red foxes are blind. Both the mother and the father help take care of the young. While the mother stays with the newborn kits, the father brings her food.

Red foxes live in many kinds of places, from forests and deserts to cities.

Words to know

• omnivores: eats plants, animals
• pounces: jumps on
• kit: a baby fox
• den: a hole home