Where does the red fox live?
The red fox lives in the deciduous forest biome. It can live in a wide variety of ecosystems, such as forests and grasslands, but farms and suburban areas as well. The red fox also has a very wide range; they are found all around the world. A red fox's habitat can be a hollow log, cave, and it is very popular among red foxes to enlarge old woodchuck's burrows to make as their habitat. (1)
Range of the Red Fox
Ecosystems of the Red Fox
Trophic Level of the Red Fox
A trophic level is a level that depends on how an organism obtains it's energy. There are producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers. The red fox is a tertiary consumer, which means it consumes all trophic levels below them and no other organism really consumes the red fox to obtain energy. (2)
Interspecific/Intraspecific Interactions
When interacting with the same species (intraspecific), the red fox is mainly solitary, and will only really initiate contact with another red fox to mate. Once mating occurs, the parents will be very loyal to the family and each other because red foxes are monogamous.
When interacting with different species (interspecific) the red fox will hunt prey like rabbits, squirrels, and even some birds. The red fox shares a parasitic relationship with tapeworms and roundworms, in which the worms benefit from feeding off of partially digested food in the intestine, while the red fox is harmed because it the worm is taking valuable nutrients away from it. (3)
When interacting with different species (interspecific) the red fox will hunt prey like rabbits, squirrels, and even some birds. The red fox shares a parasitic relationship with tapeworms and roundworms, in which the worms benefit from feeding off of partially digested food in the intestine, while the red fox is harmed because it the worm is taking valuable nutrients away from it. (3)
(1) http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/red_fox.htm
(2) http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/red-fox/
(3) http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/9354.html
(2) http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/red-fox/
(3) http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/9354.html