Foxes are small-to-medium-sized,
omnivorousmammals belonging to several
genera of the family
Canidae. Foxes have a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned
snout, and a long bushy
tail (or
brush). Twelve
species belong to the
monophyletic"true foxes" group of genus
Vulpes. Approximately another 25 current or
extinctspecies are always or sometimes called foxes; these foxes are either part of the
paraphyletic group of the South American foxes, or of the outlying group, which consists of bat-eared fox, gray fox, and island fox.
[1]Foxes live on every continent except Antarctica. By far the most common and widespread species of fox is the
red fox(
Vulpes vulpes) with about 47 recognized
subspecies.
[2] The global distribution of foxes, together with their widespread reputation for cunning, has contributed to their prominence in
popular culture and
folklore in many societies around the world. The hunting of foxes with packs of hounds, long an established pursuit in Europe, especially in the
British Isles, was exported by European settlers to various parts of the
New World.