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The '''red fox''' ('''''Vulpes vulpes''''') is the largest of the [[true fox]]es and one of the most widely distributed members of the order [[Carnivora]], being present across the entire [[Northern Hemisphere]] including most of [[North America]], [[Europe]] and [[Asia]], plus parts of [[North Africa]]. It is listed as [[least concern]] on the [[IUCN Red List]].<ref name=IUCN/> Its range has increased alongside human expansion, having been [[Foxes in Australia|introduced to Australia]], where it is considered harmful to native
The red fox originated
Red foxes are usually found in pairs or small groups consisting of families, such as a [[mated pair]] and their young, or a male with several females having kinship ties. The young of the mated pair remain with their parents to assist in caring for new kits.<ref name="mammals-of-the-brit-isles">{{cite book |last1=Harris|first1=S. |last2=Yalden|first2=D. |name-list-style=amp |title=Mammals of the British Isles: Handbook |date=2008 |publisher=Mammal Society|location=Southampton|isbn=978-0906282656|edition=Fourth |pages=408–422}}</ref> The species primarily feeds on small rodents, though it may also target [[rabbit]]s, [[squirrel]]s, [[game bird]]s, [[reptile]]s, [[invertebrate]]s<ref name="mammals-of-ussr"/> and young [[ungulate]]s.<ref name="mammals-of-ussr"/> Fruit and vegetable matter is also eaten sometimes.<ref name="mammals-of-na">{{cite book|last1=Feldhamer|first1=G. |last2=Thompson|first2=B. |last3=Chapman|first3=J. |name-list-style=amp |title=Wild Mammals of North America: Biology, Management, and Conservation: Biology, Management and Economics |date=2003 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |isbn=9780801874161|pages=516–530 |edition=Second |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-xQalfqP7BcC}}</ref> Although the red fox tends to kill smaller predators, including other fox species, it is vulnerable to attack from larger predators, such as [[Wolf|wolves]], [[coyote]]s, [[golden jackal]]s, large predatory birds such as [[golden eagle]]s and [[Eurasian eagle owl]]s,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Red Fox Predators |website=Wildlife Online |url=https://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/animals/article/red-fox-predators |access-date=27 May 2021 |archive-date=10 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610135922/https://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/animals/article/red-fox-predators |url-status=live }}</ref> and medium- and large-sized [[Felidae|felids]].<ref name="Fedriani 1999">{{cite journal |author1=Fedriani, J. M. |author2=Palomares, F. |author3=Delibes, M. |name-list-style=amp |jstor=4222449 |year=1999 |title=Niche relations among three sympatric Mediterranean carnivores |journal=Oecologia |volume=121 |issue=1 |pages=138–148 |pmid=28307883 |doi=10.1007/s004420050915 |bibcode=1999Oecol.121..138F |citeseerx=10.1.1.587.7215|s2cid=39202154}}</ref>
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==Terminology==
[[File:Red fox kits (40215161564).jpg|thumb|Juvenile red foxes are known as kits.]]
Males are called tods or dogs, females are called vixens, and young are known as cubs or kits.<ref>{{Cite web|date=26 April 2012|title=10 Fascinating Facts About Foxes (With Photos)|url=https://www.peta.org.uk/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-foxes-with-photos/|access-date=20 January 2022|website=PETA UK
==Etymology==
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The red fox is considered to be a more specialised form of ''Vulpes'' than the [[Afghan fox|Afghan]], [[Corsac fox|corsac]] and [[Bengal fox]] species, in regards to their overall size and adaptation to [[Carnivore|carnivory]]; the skull displays far fewer [[Neoteny|neotenous]] traits than in other foxes, and its facial area is more developed.<ref name="mammals-of-ussr"/> It is, however, not as adapted for a purely carnivorous diet as the [[Tibetan fox]].<ref name="mammals-of-ussr"/>
The sister lineage to the red fox is the [[Rüppell's fox]], but the two species are surprisingly closely related through [[mitochondrial DNA]] markers, with Rüppell's fox nested inside the lineages of red foxes.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Basuony |first1=A. E. |last2=Saleh |first2=M. |last3=Hailer |first3=F. |date=2024 |title=Mitogenomic analysis of Rüppell's fox (''Vulpes rueppellii'') confirms phylogenetic placement within the Palaearctic clade shared with its sister species, the red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') |doi=10.1080/24701394.2024.2332320 |journal=Mitochondrial DNA Part A |volume=34 |pages=1–7|
{{clade | style = font-size: 90%;line-height:50%
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===Colonisation of North America===
Red foxes colonised the North American continent in two waves: before and during the [[Illinoian (stage)|Illinoian glaciation]], and during the [[Wisconsinan|Wisconsinan glaciation]].<ref name="phylo"/> [[Gene mapping]] demonstrates that red foxes in North America have been isolated from their Old World counterparts for over 400,000 years, thus raising the possibility that [[speciation]] has occurred, and that the previous [[binomial name]] of ''Vulpes fulva'' may be valid.<ref name="statham2014">{{cite journal | last1 = Statham | first1 = Mark J. | last2 = Murdoch | first2 = James | last3 = Janecka | first3 = Jan | last4 = Aubry | first4 = Keith B. | last5 = Edwards | first5 = Ceiridwen J. | last6 = Soulsbury | first6 = Carl D. | last7 = Berry | first7 = Oliver | last8 = Wang | first8 = Zhenghuan | last9 = Harrison | first9 = David | display-authors = 8 | year = 2014 | title = Range-wide multilocus phylogeography of the red fox reveals ancient continental divergence, minimal genomic exchange and distinct demographic histories | journal = Molecular Ecology | volume = 23 | issue = 19| pages = 4813–4830 | doi = 10.1111/mec.12898 | pmid = 25212210| bibcode = 2014MolEc..23.4813S | s2cid = 25466489 }}</ref> In the far north, red fox fossils have been found in [[Sangamonian]] Stage deposits near the [[Fairbanks, AK|Fairbanks]] District, [[Alaska]], and [[Medicine Hat]], [[Alberta, Canada|Alberta]]. Fossils dating from the Wisconsinan are present in 25 sites across [[Arkansas]], [[California]], [[Colorado]], [[Idaho]], [[Missouri]], [[New Mexico]], [[Ohio]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Feldman |first1=Rodney |last2=Hackathorn |first2=Merriane |title=Fossils of Ohio |date=1996 |publisher=State of Ohio, Dept. of Natural Resources, Division of Geological Survey |location=Columbus |isbn=0931079055}}</ref> [[Tennessee]], [[Texas]], [[Virginia]], and [[Wyoming]]. Although they ranged far south during the Wisconsinan, the onset of warm conditions shrank their range toward the north, and they have only recently reclaimed their former North American ranges because of human-induced environmental changes.<ref name="kurten1980">{{Cite book |last1=Kurtén |first1=B. |title=Pleistocene Mammals of North America |last2=Anderson |first2=E. |date=1980 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=9780231037334 |pages=96, 174 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> [[Genetic testing]] indicates that two distinct red fox [[Refugium (population biology)|refugia]] exist in North America, which have been separated since the Wisconsinan. The northern (or boreal) refugium occurs in Alaska and western Canada, and consists of the larger subspecies ''V. v. alascensis'', ''V. v. abietorum'', ''V. v. regalis'', and ''V. v. rubricosa''. The southern (or montane) refugium occurs in the subalpine parklands and alpine meadows of the west, from the [[Rocky Mountains]] to the [[Cascade Range|Cascades]] and the [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]] ranges, consisting of the smaller subspecies ''V. v. cascadensis'', ''V. v. macroura'', ''V. v. necator'', and ''V. v. patwin''. The latter [[clade]] has been separated from all other red fox populations since at least the last glacial maximum, and may possess unique ecological or physiological adaptations.<ref name="phylo">{{cite journal |author1=Aubry, Keith B. |author2=Statham, Mark J. |author3=Sacks, Benjamin N. |author4=Perrines, John D. |author5=Wisely, Samantha M. |name-list-style=amp |year=2009 |title=Phylogeography of the North American red fox: Vicariance in Pleistocene forest refugia |journal=Molecular Ecology |volume=18 |issue=12 |pages=2668–2686 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-294X.2009.04222.x |pmid=19457180 |bibcode=2009MolEc..18.2668A |s2cid=11518843 |url=http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/cdcg/documents/Aubryetal2009_000.pdf |access-date=13 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616110238/http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/cdcg/documents/Aubryetal2009_000.pdf |archive-date=16 June 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Although European foxes (''V. v. crucigera'') were introduced to portions of the United States in the 1900s, recent genetic investigation indicates an absence of European fox mitochondrial haplotypes in any North American populations.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The origin of recently established red fox populations in the United States: translocations or natural range expansions? |author=Mark J. Statham |author2=Benjamin N. Sacks |author3=Keith B. Aubry |author4=John D. Perrine |author5=Samantha M. Wisely |name-list-style=amp |year=2012 |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=93 |issue=1 |page=58 |doi=10.1644/11-MAMM-A-033.1|doi-access=free }}</ref> Additionally, introduced eastern North American red foxes have colonised most of inland California, from [[Southern California]] to the [[San Joaquin Valley]], [[Monterey, CA|Monterey]] and north-coastal [[San Francisco Bay Area]] (including urban [[San Francisco]] and adjacent cities). In spite of the red fox's adaptability to city life, they are still found in somewhat greater numbers in the northern portions of California (north of the Bay Area) than in the south, as the wilderness is more alpine and isolated. The eastern red foxes appear to have mixed with the [[Sacramento Valley]] red fox (''V. v. patwin'') only in a narrow hybrid zone.<ref>{{cite journal |title=A restricted hybrid zone between native and introduced red fox ''Vulpes vulpes'' populations suggests reproductive barriers and competitive exclusion |author1=Sacks, B. N. |author2=Moore, M. |author3=Statham, M. J. |author4=Wittmer, H. U. |name-list-style=amp |journal=Molecular Ecology |year=2011 |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=326–341 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-294x.2010.04943.x|pmid=21143330|bibcode=2011MolEc..20..326S |s2cid=2995171 }}</ref> In addition, no evidence is seen of interbreeding of eastern American red foxes in California with the montane [[Sierra Nevada red fox]] (''V. v. necator'') or other populations in the Intermountain West (between the [[Rocky Mountains]] to the east and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada Mountains to the west).<ref>{{cite journal |title=Genetic distinctiveness of red foxes in the Intermountain West as revealed through expanded mitochondrial sequencing |author=Volkmann, Logan A. |author2=Statham, Mark J. |author3=Mooers, Arne Ø. |author4=Sacks, Benjamin N. |name-list-style=amp |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=96 |issue=2 |pages=297–307 |doi=10.1093/jmammal/gyv007|year=2015|doi-access=free }}</ref>
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|-
|Atlas fox<br/>''V. v. atlantica''
[[File:It's my habitat ! (cropped).jpg|frameless]]
|[[Johann Andreas Wagner|Wagner]]
|1841
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===Dimensions===
Red foxes are the largest species of the genus ''Vulpes''.<ref name="z129">{{Harvnb|Sillero-Zubiri|Hoffman|MacDonald|2004|p=129}}</ref> However, relative to dimensions, red foxes are much lighter than similarly sized dogs of the genus ''[[Canis]]''. Their limb bones, for example, weigh 30 percent less per unit area of bone than expected for similarly sized dogs.<ref name="rwf1987">{{Cite book|title=Running with the Fox|last=Macdonald|first=David|publisher=Unwin Hyman, London |year=1987
===Fur===
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==Distribution and habitat==
[[File:RedFox.png|thumbnail|Multi-coloured North American red fox]]
[[File:Red fox in filfla Commune, skikda, Algeria.jpg|thumb|Red fox with winter fur in [[Filfla, Algeria]]]]
The red fox is a wide-ranging species. Its range covers nearly {{cvt|70000000|km2}} including as far north as the Arctic Circle. It occurs all across Europe, in Africa north of the Sahara Desert, throughout Asia apart from extreme Southeast Asia, and across North America apart from most of the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is absent in [[Greenland]], [[Iceland]], the Arctic islands, the most northern parts of central [[Siberia]], and in extreme deserts.<ref name=IUCN/>
It is not present in [[New Zealand]] and is classed as a "prohibited new organism" under the [[Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996]], which does not allow import.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1996/0030/latest/DLM386556.html#DLM386556 |title=Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 2003 – Schedule 2 Prohibited new organisms |publisher=New Zealand Government |access-date=26 January 2012 |archive-date=16 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616104517/http://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1996/0030/latest/DLM386556.html#DLM386556 |url-status=live }}</ref>
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{{Main|Feral foxes in Australia}}
In Australia, estimates in 2012 indicated that there were more than 7.2 million red foxes,<ref>{{cite web |url=http:/./www.gamecouncil.nsw.gov.au/portal.asp?p=Ferals1 |title=Impacts of Feral Animals |access-date=29 May 2012 |publisher=Game Council of New South Wales |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418154902/http://www.gamecouncil.nsw.gov.au/portal.asp?p=Ferals1 |archive-date=18 April 2012}}</ref> with a range extending throughout most of the continental mainland.<ref name=rwf1987/>{{rp|14}} They became established in Australia through successive introductions in the 1830s and 1840s, by settlers in the British colonies of [[Van Diemen's Land]] (as early as 1833) and the [[Port Phillip District]] of New South Wales (as early as 1845), who wanted to foster the traditional English sport of [[fox hunting]]. A permanent red fox population did not establish itself on the island of [[Tasmania]], and it is widely held that foxes were out-competed by the [[Tasmanian devil]].<ref name=Bostanci2005>{{Cite journal |last1=Bostanci |first1=A. |title=Wildlife Biology: A Devil of a Disease |doi=10.1126/science.307.5712.1035 |journal=Science |volume=307 |issue=5712 |page=1035 |year=2005 |pmid=15718445|s2cid=54100368 }}</ref> On the mainland, however, the species was successful as an [[apex predator]]. The fox is generally less common in areas where the [[dingo]] is more prevalent, but it has, primarily through its burrowing behaviour, achieved [[niche differentiation]] with both the [[free-ranging dog|feral dog]] and the [[feral cat]]. Consequently, the fox has become one of the continent's most destructive invasive species.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}
The red fox has been implicated in the extinction or decline of several native Australian species, particularly those of the family [[Potoroidae]], including the [[desert rat-kangaroo]].<ref name='Biological Conservation 1998-09-13'>{{Cite journal | last1 = Short | first1 = J. | title = The extinction of rat-kangaroos (Marsupialia: Potoroidae) in New South Wales, Australia | doi = 10.1016/S0006-3207(98)00026-3 | journal = Biological Conservation | volume = 86 | issue = 3 | pages = 365–377| year = 1998| bibcode = 1998BCons..86..365S }}</ref> The spread of red foxes across the southern part of the continent has coincided with the spread of [[rabbits in Australia]], and corresponds with declines in the distribution of several medium-sized ground-dwelling mammals, including [[Woylie|brush-tailed bettong]]s, [[Boodie|burrowing bettong]]s, [[rufous bettong]]s, [[bilbies]], [[numbat]]s, [[Bridled nail-tail wallaby|bridled nail-tail wallabies]] and [[quokka]]s.<ref>{{cite report |url=http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/pestsweeds/RedfoxApproved.pdf |title=Threat Abatement Plan for Predation by the Red Fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') |year=2001 |publisher=NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service |isbn=0731364244 |access-date=25 September 2010 |archive-date=17 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110317045658/http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/pestsweeds/RedfoxApproved.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Most of those species are now limited to areas (such as islands) where red foxes are absent or rare. Local fox eradication programs exist, although elimination has proven difficult due to the fox's denning behaviour and nocturnal hunting, so the focus is on management, including the introduction of state bounties.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Millen, Tracey |date=October–November 2006 |title=Call for more dingoes to restore native species |journal=[[ECOS (CSIRO magazine)|ECOS]] |volume=133 |url=http://www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_file&file_id=EC133p5a.pdf |access-date=9 March 2007 |archive-date=16 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120416060335/http://www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_file |url-status=live }} (Refers to the book ''Australia's Mammal Extinctions: A 50,000 Year History''. Christopher N. Johnson. {{ISBN|978-0-521-68660-0}}.)</ref> According to the Tasmanian government, red foxes were accidentally introduced to the previously fox-free island of Tasmania in 1999 or 2000, posing a significant threat to native wildlife, including the [[eastern bettong]], and an eradication program was initiated, conducted by the Tasmanian [[Department of Primary Industries and Water]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Latest Physical Evidence of Foxes in Tasmania |work=Department of Primary Industries and Water, Tasmania website |url=http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/LJEM-6SH7FX?open |date=18 July 2013 |access-date=20 September 2013 |archive-date=21 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054610/http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/LJEM-6SH7FX?open |url-status=live }}</ref>
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===Diet, hunting and feeding behaviour===
[[File:Red fox with nutria.jpg|thumb|A red fox with a [[coypu]]]]
Red foxes are [[omnivore]]s with a highly varied diet.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Contesse |first1=P. |last2=Hegglin |first2=D. |last3=Gloor |first3=S. |last4=Bontadina |first4=F. |last5=Deplazes |first5=P. |date=2004-02-01 |title=The diet of urban foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and the availability of anthropogenic food in the city of Zurich, Switzerland |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S161650470470107X |journal=Mammalian Biology |volume=69 |issue=2 |pages=81–95 |doi=10.1078/1616-5047-00123 |bibcode=2004MamBi..69...81C |issn=1616-5047}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Morton |first1=F. Blake |last2=Gartner |first2=Marieke |last3=Norrie |first3=Ellie-Mae |last4=Haddou |first4=Yacob |last5=Soulsbury |first5=Carl D. |last6=Adaway |first6=Kristy A. |date=2023-09-01 |title=Urban foxes are bolder but not more innovative than their rural conspecifics |journal=Animal Behaviour |volume=203 |pages=101–113 |doi=10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.07.003 |issn=0003-3472 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Research conducted in the former Soviet Union showed red foxes consuming over 300 animal species and a few dozen species of plants.<ref name="mammals-of-ussr"/> They primarily feed on small rodents like [[vole]]s, [[Mouse|mice]], [[ground squirrel]]s, [[hamster]]s, [[Gerbillinae|gerbil]]s, [[woodchuck]]s, [[pocket gopher]]s and [[Peromyscus|deer mice]].<ref name="mammals-of-ussr"/><ref name="mammals-of-na"/> Secondary prey species include birds (with [[Passeriformes]], [[Galliformes]] and [[waterfowl]] predominating), [[leporid]]s, [[porcupine]]s, [[raccoon]]s, [[opossum]]s, [[reptile]]s, [[insect]]s, other [[invertebrate]]s, [[flotsam]] ([[marine mammals]], [[fish]] and [[echinoderm]]s) and [[carrion]].<ref name="mammals-of-ussr"/><ref name="mammals-of-na"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Fox |first1=David L. |title=''Vulpes vulpes'' Red fox |url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Vulpes_vulpes/ |website=Animal Diversity Web |publisher=University of Michigan Museum of Zoology |year=2007 |access-date=13 October 2022 |archive-date=11 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711104217/http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Vulpes_vulpes/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On very rare occasions, foxes may attack young or small [[ungulate]]s.<ref name="mammals-of-ussr"/> They typically target mammals up to about {{cvt|3.5|kg}} in weight, and they require {{cvt|500|g}} of food daily.<ref name="z132"/> Red foxes readily eat plant material and in some areas fruit can amount to 100% of their diet in autumn. Commonly consumed fruits include [[Blueberry|blueberries]], [[Blackberry|blackberries]], [[Raspberry|raspberries]], [[Cherry|cherries]], [[persimmon]]s, [[Morus (plant)|mulberries]], [[apple]]s, [[plum]]s, [[grape]]s and [[acorn]]s. Other plant material includes [[grass]]es, [[Cyperaceae|sedge]]s and [[tuber]]s.<ref name="mammals-of-na"/>
Red foxes are implicated in the predation of [[Game bird|game]] and [[song bird]]s, hares, [[rabbit]]s, [[muskrat]]s and young ungulates, particularly in [[Game preservation|preserve]]s, [[Game reserve|reserve]]s and hunting farms where ground-nesting birds are protected and raised, as well as in [[Poultry farming|poultry farm]]s.<ref name="mammals-of-ussr"/>
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Red foxes typically dominate other fox species. [[Arctic fox]]es generally escape competition from red foxes by living farther north, where food is too scarce to support the larger-bodied red species. Although the red species' northern limit is linked to the availability of food, the Arctic species' southern range is limited by the presence of the former. Red and Arctic foxes were both introduced to almost every island from the [[Aleutian Islands]] to the [[Alexander Archipelago]] during the 1830s–1930s by fur companies. The red foxes invariably displaced the Arctic foxes, with one male red fox having been reported to have killed off all resident Arctic foxes on a small island in 1866.<ref name=rwf1987/> Where they are [[Sympatry|sympatric]], Arctic foxes may also escape competition by feeding on [[lemming]]s and flotsam rather than voles, as favoured by red foxes. Both species will kill each other's kits, given the opportunity.<ref name="mammals-of-ussr"/> Red foxes are serious competitors of [[corsac fox]]es, as they hunt the same prey all year. The red species is also stronger, is better adapted to hunting in snow deeper than {{cvt|10|cm}} and is more effective in hunting and catching medium-sized to large rodents. Corsac foxes seem to only outcompete red foxes in semi-desert and steppe areas.<ref name="mammals-of-ussr"/><ref>{{Harvnb|Heptner|Naumov|1998|pp=453–454}}</ref> In Israel, Blanford's foxes escape competition with red foxes by restricting themselves to rocky cliffs and actively avoiding the open plains inhabited by red foxes.<ref name=rwf1987/>{{rp|84–85}} Red foxes dominate [[Kit fox|kit]] and [[swift fox]]es. Kit foxes usually avoid competition with their larger cousins by living in more arid environments, though red foxes have been increasing in ranges formerly occupied by kit foxes due to human-induced environmental changes. Red foxes will kill both species and compete with them for food and den sites.<ref name="mammals-of-na"/> [[Gray fox|Grey fox]]es are exceptional, as they dominate red foxes wherever their ranges meet. Historically, interactions between the two species were rare, as grey foxes favoured heavily wooded or semiarid habitats as opposed to the open and mesic ones preferred by red foxes. However, interactions have become more frequent due to deforestation, allowing red foxes to colonise grey fox-inhabited areas.<ref name="mammals-of-na"/>
[[File:Interspecific social interaction between golden jackal (Canis aureus) and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) (fig. 1).png|thumb|Female red fox and kits interacting with a male [[golden jackal]] in south-western Germany]]
[[Wolf|Wolves]] may kill and eat red foxes in disputes over carcasses.<ref name="mammals-of-ussr"/><ref name="Mech 2003">{{cite book |author1=Mech, L. David |author2=Boitani, Luigi |name-list-style=amp |year=2003 |title=Wolves: Behaviour, Ecology and Conservation |page=269 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-51696-7}}</ref> In areas in North America where red fox and [[coyote]] populations are sympatric, red fox ranges tend to be located outside coyote territories. The principal cause of this separation is believed to be active avoidance of coyotes by the red foxes. Interactions between the two species vary in nature, ranging from active antagonism to indifference. The majority of aggressive encounters are initiated by coyotes, and there are few reports of red foxes acting aggressively toward coyotes except when attacked or when their kits were approached. Foxes and coyotes have sometimes been seen feeding together.<ref name="Sargeant 1989">{{cite journal |author1=Sargeant, Alan B |author2=Allen, Stephen H. |name-list-style=amp |title=Observed interactions between coyotes and red foxes |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |year=1989 |issue=3 |pages=631–633 |url=http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/mammals/cfoxint/ |volume=70 |jstor=1381437 |doi=10.2307/1381437 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114195545/http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/mammals/cfoxint/ |archive-date=14 November 2007}}</ref> In Israel, red foxes share their habitat with [[golden jackal]]s. Where their ranges meet, the two canids compete due to near-identical diets. Red foxes ignore golden jackal scents or tracks in their territories and avoid close physical proximity with golden jackals themselves. In areas where golden jackals become very abundant, the population of red foxes decreases significantly, apparently because of [[Competitive exclusion principle|competitive exclusion]].<ref name="RF">{{cite journal |author1=Scheinin, Shani |author2=Yom-Tov, Yoram |author3=Motro, Uzi |author4=Geffen, Eli |name-list-style=amp |title=Behavioural responses of red foxes to an increase in the presence of golden jackals: A field experiment |journal=Animal Behaviour |year=2006 |volume=71 |issue=3 |pages=577–584 |url=http://www.tau.ac.il/lifesci/zoology/members/yom-tov/articles/Behavioural_responses_of_red_foxes.pdf |doi=10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.05.022 |s2cid=38578736 |access-date=24 August 2007 |archive-date=13 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113071230/https://www.tau.ac.il/lifesci/zoology/members/yom-tov/articles/Behavioural_responses_of_red_foxes.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Aquila chrysaetos 1 (Bohuš Číčel).jpg|thumb|A [[golden eagle]] feeding on a red fox]]
Red foxes dominate [[raccoon dog]]s, sometimes killing their kits or biting adults to death. Cases are known of red foxes killing raccoon dogs after entering their dens. Both species compete for mouse-like prey. This competition reaches a peak during early spring when food is scarce. In [[Tatarstan]], red fox predation accounted for 11.1% of deaths among 54 raccoon dogs and amounted to 14.3% of 186 raccoon dog deaths in northwestern Russia.<ref name="mammals-of-ussr"/>
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