What Is the Difference Between Female and Male Foxes?
In addition to having different reproductive organs, male foxes are larger than females and roam much more freely. Female foxes tend to stick to the same territory throughout their entire lives. Foxes weigh from 6 to 31 pounds, with males being on the larger side.
The reproductive cycle between male and female foxes begins between December and April, depending on the region and climate. Foxes generally mate in pairs; however, males have been known to mate with multiple females at one time. Paired foxes also seek out the same mate from the previous breeding season.
Females give birth to an average of five offspring after approximately two months. The male fox never enters the den where the female is caring for the pups. If the male fox has mated with multiple females, they all give birth in and inhabit the same den. The baby foxes leave the den after four or five weeks and are accompanied by their mother until the autumn months. The pups reach sexual maturity by the time they are 10 months old.
Foxes are not pack-mentality animals. However older, female offspring may stay with their parents for a few years and help tend future litters with their mothers. The average life span for red foxes in the wild is three years. However many have been recorded as living up to 10 or 12 years in captivity.
