At birth, a red fox is brown or gray. The newborn red fox is called a "kit," though they are often referred to as "pups." For both male and female red foxes, the traditional, copper red coat usually grows in by the end of the first month. The vixen usually gives birth to a litter of two to 12 kits.
The red fox's body has mostly reddish fur, but other parts of the body display different colors. Males and females may have red, black or brow fur instead of the red color. Black fur covers the paws, the area behind the pointed ears and around the nose.
Male foxes and females foxes are generally the same in size, though the male is slightly larger. The average male red fox weighs 12 to 15 pounds at maturity, while the female weighs 10 to 12 pounds. While variations and anomalies in size and coloring range throughout the Vulpes vuples family, male and female are only distinguishable by their sex organs, minor size differences and sometimes the vixen's smaller skull size.
Foxes are omnivores, which means they both eat plants and animals. Foxes eat anything from field mice to insects, thrown away human food and berries. Foxes are skillful and persistent hunters. Both the female and male foxes have acute hearing capabilities, like a dog, which allows them to listen for the exact location of prey before they pounce gracefully on the victim. Foxes can even hear an animal like a mouse underground and know where to find it.