Red Fox

An alert Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes, warily eyes the camera man. Photo courtesy Tim Daniel/Ohio Division of Wildlife

I recently wrote a piece about one of our handsomest mammals, the Red Fox, which appeared in last Sunday's Columbus Dispatch. At the end of the column, I asked readers to let me know of any foxes that they had seen within the limits of Interstate 270 - Columbus' outerbelt , which largely defines the city and its suburbs. And only sightings from within the last year, so as to get an up-to-date snapshot of their frequency in our city.

Well, I received 53 e-mails from area residents, and two things became obvious. One, Red Foxes are thriving within the city, and two, people really like these animals. Their larger brethren, the Coyote, tends to provoke a much more negative and often semi-fearful response; not so with the fox. People often spoke quite fondly of their encounters and made mention of the pleasure they got from having the opportunity to observe and admire these clever little animals.

Following is my Dispatch column in case you would like to read it, and after that is a map that I made that shows the approximate locations of the fox reports that I received.

Columbus Dispatch
NATURE
Cute, clever foxes are all around us
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Jim McCormac

“If the lion was advised by the fox, he would be cunning.” — William Blake

Sly, svelte and good- looking, the red fox is your neighbor — although you might not know it.

One of our most interesting mammals, foxes are adaptive and faring well, even in suburbia. These clever beasts recognize us as one of their few enemies, and that, coupled with their mostly nocturnal habits, keep the fox largely out of sight and mind.

A red fox is worth a gander, if chance permits.

It’s testimony to the fox’s good looks that especially pretty women are called “foxes.” Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, the fox is endowed with a gorgeous coat of burnt orange. A white breast and dark legs give the impression that it wears black stockings and a bib. The incredible white-tipped tail can be well over half the animal’s length. It serves as a rudder on aerial leaps and helps balance the animal when in full gallop.

Foxes are canids, the same family that your dog belongs to. They do look doglike, albeit small: A 15-pound fox would be hefty, and they’re only 31/2 feet long. Were it not for the thick coat, a fox would be but a wisp of itself.

Foxes act catlike in spite of their canine lineage, as anyone who has watched them hunting mice knows. They’ll furtively stalk prey, then pounce in a stiff-legged leap, deftly seizing the victim.

Red foxes pair up in winter to breed. Their dens are usually modified woodchuck burrows, but they’ll use rock piles, hollow logs or other suitable crevices. The babies — kits — are born in early spring. Watching an active den is a treat. The kits, which usually number a half-dozen or so, cavort and tussle near the entrance like kittens. The parents bring wounded chipmunks and other small prey so that the youngsters can practice the craft of killing.

Foxes aren’t strict meat-eaters, though. They’re omnivorous: They eat a variety of foods. During summer and fall, berries and other vegetable matter become dietary staples.

I once drove by a rural farmhouse with scads of chickens in the yard when something caught my eye. It was a red fox, frozen stiff as a statue, paw in the air and poultry on its mind, looking straight at me. Busted, the fox scampered off.

The clever creatures aren’t usually chicken thieves, though, and are far more beneficial than detrimental. They’re inveterate mousers and partial to the rabbits that plunder your garden. Fluffy should be safe, too: Cats are usually too much for a fox to handle.

In 1962, 70 of Ohio’s 88 counties offered bounties on foxes. People didn’t understand the importance of predators, and foxes were vilified as killers of “good” animals. In 1975, the archaic bounty practice was banned.

Today, red foxes are common in every Ohio county and plentiful in urban areas such as Columbus.

Naturalist Jim McCormac writes a column for The Dispatch the first and third Sundays of the month. He also writes about nature at jim.mccormac.blogspot.com.

Further afield
• Let me know whether you’ve seen any red foxes during the past year within the bounds of I-270. Drop an e-mail to ambrosia@columbus.rr.com.

• One of spring’s great natural phenomenons is the running of the salamanders. Naturalist Chrissy Pheifer will present a program titled “Salamanders: The Mystery and Journey” at the Columbus Natural History Society meeting at 7:30 p.m. March 14 in the Museum of Biological Diversity, 1315 Kinnear Rd.

Locations of red fox sightings in Columbus, Ohio, over the past year. A few of these foxes are local celebrities and were reported by multiple observers. And I'm sure there are plenty of others going unreported. Thanks to all who shared their sightings!