The fox is the smallest member of the dog family, Canidae. Foxes are angle predators that usually weigh less than 7 kg (15 lb). They scavange carrion and wild fruits and hunt small rodents, rabbits, birds and invertebrates. Because they hunt samll prey sufficient to feed only one animal, foxes are solitary predators and do not hunt or packs. If the condition is bad for them fox also can go to the residential to steel food (fox steel food).
Foxes are a diverse group of canids containing 14 species and occupying almost all continents. The best known foxes are the forest, chaparral, and farmland species. The group contain the grey fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus, of North America, and Nort Africa.
A pair of red foxes normally occupies a territory of 2.6 to 7.8 km2, which they defend against other toxes. The male and female mate during midwinter, and four to seven young are born after an average gestation period of 51 days. The dog fox brings food to the vixen while she is nursing; later both parents feed the pups. By midsummer the young foxes begin to hunt on their own and are sell sufficient by autumn. During early winter the family group breaks up, and the young leave the territory.
Some fox species show clear adaptation to the special environments they habit. For example, the sand foxes, such as the kit fox, V.macrotis, of the U.S Southwest, have evolved a sandy colored coat, dense fur, dark eyes as protection against the sun, and the ability to go without water for long periods. Their large ears disperse body heat without water being lost through panting or sweating.
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