Red fox

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the most well known species of fox, and for most people is synonymous with the word 'fox'. It is one of the most popular species in the furry fandom.

The fur of a red fox is actually a rusty orange, although artistic depictions often darken the colour to a deeper reddish colour.

Subspecies and varieties
The red fox has many varieties. Some taxonomists regard the American variety as being a separate species (Vulpes fulva) but the consensus seems to be that they are merely different subspecies.

The cross fox is a common color variant with a dark stripe across the shoulders and down the back.

The silver fox, so called because of white-tipped black hairs on an otherwise solid-black coat, is also a color variant of the red fox, and is rare in the wild.

The red fox in culture
The red fox is proverbial as a thief and a trickster in some of the oldest story traditions, and has kept this reputation to the present day.

It is also an urban animal in some places, and many towns have foxes which hunt the streets after dark.