Minnesota Seasons

Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern

NatureServe

N5 - Secure
SNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

Description

Northern plains fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. regalis), the Minnesota subspecies, is the largest North American subspecies of red fox. The fur (pelage) is yellowish-red. All four feet are black, appearing as black “socks”. The tail is very long and has a white tip The ears are very large and broad.

Size

Total length: 33″ to 41″

Tail: 11½″ to 15⅜″

Sign

Similar Species

Gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) pellage is mostly grizzled gray with areas of rusty-yellow. A black stripe runs down the top of the back and tail. The tip of the tail is black. The feet do not have black “socks”.

Habitat

A variety of habitats, usually semi-open to mature forest.

Ecology

Behavior

Lifespan

Average 3 years

Life Cycle

Food

Mostly mice and voles, but also other small animals, including rabbits and hares, woodchucks, ground and tree squirrels, muskrats, song and game birds, snakes, turtles, and frogs. In warm months they also eat insects and fruits.

Distribution
		Sources 6, 7, 24, 29, 30. Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu, 12/18/2025). Timm, R. M. 1975. Distribution, natural history, and parasites of mammals of Cook County, Minnesota. Occasional Papers, Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota 14:1–56. Hazard, Evan B. 1982. The Mammals of Minnesota. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 280 pp. The counties in light green lack modern records but have historic county or township specimens or records.
12/18/2025





Occurrence
Common and widespread

Taxonomy

Class

Mammalia (Mammals)

Subclass

Theria

Infraclass

Placentalia (Placental Mammals)

Magnorder

Boreoeutheria

Superorder

Laurasiatheria (Ungulates, Carnivorans, and Allies)

Order

Carnivora (Carnivorans)

Suborder

Caniformia (Dog-like Carnivores)

Infraorder

Cynoidea

Family

Canidae (Canids)

Subfamily

Caninae

Tribe

Vulpini

Genus

Vulpes (Typical Foxes)

Subordinate Taxa

There are 46 recognized subspecies of red fox (Vulpes Vulpes) worldwide. Only one, northern plains fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. regalis), is found in Minnesota. There is one report of American red fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. fulvus), the eastern subspecies, in Minnesota. However, this report is from a museum specimen in 1892 and the location where it was collected was not recorded.

Afghan red fox (Vulpes Vulpes ssp. griffithi)

American red fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. fulvus)

Anadyr fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. beringiana)

Anatolian fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. anatolica)

Arabian fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. arabica)

Atlas fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. atlantica)

Barbary fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. barbara)

British Columbian fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. abietorum)

Cascade Mountain fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. cascadensis)

Cyprus fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. indutus)

eastern trans-Caucasian fox (Vulpes Vulpes ssp. alpherakyi)

European fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. crucigera)

hill fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. montana)

Iberian fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. silacea)

Japanese fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. japonica)

Karaganka fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. karagan)

Kenai Peninsula fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. kenaiensis)

Kodiak fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. harrimani)

Korean fox (Vulpes Vulpes ssp. peculiosa)

Kurile Island fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. splendidissima)

Labrador fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. bangsi)

Newfoundland fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. deletrix)

Nile fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. niloticus)

north Caucasian fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. caucasica)

northern Alaskan fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. alascensis)

northern Chinese fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. tschiliensis)

northern plains fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. regalis)

Nova Scotia fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. rubricosa)

Palestinian fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. palaestina)

red fox fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. dorsalis)

Sacramento Valley red fox (Vulpes Vulpes ssp. patwin)

Sakhalin fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. schrencki)

Sardinian fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. ichnusae)

Scandinavian red fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. vulpes)

Sierra Nevada red fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. necator)

southern Chinese fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. hoole)

Steppe fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. stepensis)

Tobol'sk fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. tobolica)

Trans-Baikal fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. daurica)

Trans-Caucasian montane fox (Vulpes Vulpes ssp. kurdistanica)

Turkestan fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. ochroxantha)

Turkmenian fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. flavescens)

Ussuri fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. dolichocrania)

Wasatch Mountain fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. macroura)

white-footed fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. pusilla)

Yakutsk fox Vulpes Vulpes ssp. jakutensis)

Synonyms

Canis vulpes

Vulpes palmaria

Common Names

cross fox

red fox

Glossary

Pelage

The coat of a mammal, consisting of fur, wool, or hair, and including a soft undercoat and stiff guard hairs.

Visitor Photos

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Luciearl

Ramona Abrego

Captive Fox

Wild fox on the Gunflint Trail

Norm & Peg Dibble

Beautiful Red Fox looking for a treat at our back door January 2018. First sighting ever was Christmas Eve! What a treat. It came by every day for quite a while so we have many photos and films.

Resting in the frozen pond area waiting for another treat. It was strange to watch him curl up and sleep in plain sight, but he probably had one eye open. He is so gorgeous!

MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos

Camera

Slideshows

Vulpes vulpes (Red Fox)
Allen Chartier

Red Fox
Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

slideshow

Visitor Videos

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Visitor Sightings

Report a sighting of this mammal.

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Luciearl
4/11/2021

Location: Cass County

John Valo
9/9/2018

Location: Burnsville, MN

I was startled awake at 1:25 this morning by a noise in the back yard. It sounded at first like a woman’s scream, about one and a half seconds long. After a ten second pause it was repeated. Again. And again. Then it became a long (one and a half second) scream followed by three shorter ones. After a ten second pause, that was repeated. Again. And again. I thought it may be a squirrel or rabbit being attacked by a red fox I have seen around. It turns out to have been the fox itself. Here is a link to Popular Science article of a screaming fox.

What Sound Does A Fox Really Make?

Norm & Peg Dibble
January 2018

Location: Maple Grove, MN

Beautiful Red Fox looking for a treat at our back door January 2018. First sighting ever was Christmas Eve! What a treat. It came by every day for quite a while so we have many photos and films.

Ramona Abrego
2/20/2017