Mammals

Understand fox behaviour

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Foxes are easiest to see in the wild when their

cubs are born (May - July). Here's our handy
guide to the behaviour you are most likely to
see.

By Steve Harris

For much of the year, foxes are difficult to see in the

wild. But when their cubs are born between May and
July, they are vocal and more active during the day,
hunting, playing or just relaxing in the sun.

Here Stephen Harris describes their key

characteristics and some of the behaviour you are
likely to see.

How do you tell if a fox is male or

female?
• Dog foxes and vixens are hard to tell apart,
though dogs are generally about one fifth
heavier. The dogs also have broader, slightly
more domed heads.

• During winter (when mating), the male’s testes

visibly protrude between his hindlegs, but
these regress and are hard to see in summer.

• When lactating, the vixen’s eight teats are

obvious, and her belly fur is brick red (it’s
normally white or grey).

• In late winter, the vixen digs out several

potential breeding earths. In rural areas, these
will be in banks, at woodland edges or under
piles of sticks or drystone walls. In urban areas,
they can also be in or under sheds and
buildings.

It can be hard to tell whether a red fox is male or female. ©

Dgwildlife/Getty

How quickly do fox cubs grow?

• Newborn fox cubs are blind, deaf, dark-grey in
colour and weigh about 120g.

• After 14 days, their eyes open. Their pupils are

slate-blue. Guard hairs appear, giving cubs a
fuzzy appearance. They have small, floppy ears
and weigh about 350g.

• After four weeks, the cub’s pupils are grey

flecked with brown. The muzzle starts to
lengthen. White fur appears around the mouth
and patches of red on the face.

• The coat is still woolly, but the ears are now

erect.

• After eight weeks, the pupils become amber-

coloured and the cub’s face approaches adult
proportions. Its fur is largely adult colour but
still looks woolly

• Throughout the summer, cubs are very similar

to adults but have thinner coats and a lankier
appearance. They become indistinguishable
from the adults by late September or early
October, once their winter coats are fully
grown.

• From late September, the family group breaks

up and some or all of the cubs disperse.

Wild fox cub. © Diana Grant/Getty

What do fox cubs eat?

• Cubs are suckled for the first four weeks, then
progressively weaned until seven weeks old
(though they are occasionally still suckling at 14
weeks).

• They hunt earthworms and insects as soon as

they emerge from their earth (at four weeks),
but these form only a very small proportion of
their diet.

• Adults bring back larger mammals and birds

for the cubs, but they themselves feed more on
small prey such as mice and voles.

• Cubs are cautious until they start foraging for

themselves.

• In gardens, they may hide in flowerbeds while

the adults collect food. Youngsters have high
energy-needs – adults caring for a litter can
look very thin.

• Both dogs and vixens provision their cubs, who

beg for food by rushing over excitedly. They
hold their bodies low to the ground, wag their
tails rapidly, nuzzle the adult’s mouth and
whine.

• Cubs fight over access to food. They arch their

backs, raise their hackles and hold their heads
low while making high-pitched ‘kek-kek-
kekking’ noises. Tugs-of-war help to break open
carcasses – the cubs’ teeth are too weak to
tackle intact prey.

• Cubs start to forage for themselves in July.

Thereafter, they compete with adults for food,
who may push them off a kill. They tend to go
for easy-to-catch prey such as insects and
earthworms while slowly developing their
hunting skills.

A small red fox cub photographed in a studio. © Voren1/Getty

Are some foxes more dominant

than others?
• There is a strict dominance hierarchy within
social groups.

• A subordinate approaches a dominant with its

body held low. It often crouches or even
wriggles on its back at the feet of the dominant
animal in a puppy-like appeasement gesture.

• Cubs start to establish a dominance hierarchy

even before they emerge from their earth,
when fights are particularly vicious. About 20
per cent of cubs die underground, often as a
result of spats with siblings. Dead cubs are
generally consumed by littermates.

• Hierarchy is largely established within seven or

eight weeks, and thereafter serious fights are
rare.

• Dominant cubs have preferential access to

food and thus grow much faster. In larger
litters, dominant cubs may look four weeks
older than subordinates, often leading to the
mistaken impression of two pooled litters.

• Dominant cubs receive more social grooming

from adults, are more strongly integrated into
the social group and less likely to disperse in
autumn.

• As cubs get older, they fight by standing on

their hindlegs and placing their forelegs on
their opponent’s chest. They try to push each
other over in a trial of strength. The loser is
often chased and may be badly bitten on the
rump or base of the tail.

A pair of adult red foxes fighting. © Schaef1/Getty

Do foxes live alone or in groups?

• Foxes live in social groups – three or four
adults are quite common (though 10 were
recorded in one Bristol group). These consist of
equal numbers of dogs and vixens.

• Generally, only one vixen breeds, but

occasionally up to three do. Cubs can be
reared separately, but may also be pooled
together in one large litter.

• Mid-March is the peak time for births. The

average litter size is four or five, but eight is not
uncommon. For the first few weeks, the vixen
spends most of her time with the cubs and
relies on the male to bring her food.

• There is no obvious sign as to which earth has

been used for breeding until the cubs emerge
at about four weeks old – usually late April or
early May. Food remains then accumulate
around and inside the earth.

• Unless disturbed, cubs stay in their natal earth

until early June, though they may abandon it
earlier in hot weather. From early June, they lie
up above ground at rendez-vous sites in dense
cover such as a bramble or thorn patch or in
piles of rubbish.

Steve Harris

Tags British Wildlife

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