Vulpes vulpes, or the red fox is easily identified from its orange/ red coat, white patch on the under belly which goes up to the snout, white ears with black tips, dark brown/ black feet and a bushy tail. Weighing at 5-7kg the red fox is the largest of the foxes and is the most widely spread member of the carnivora order covering almost 70 million km2, its range covers the entire northern hemisphere and has been introduced to Australia. The fox can be found in a variety of habitats including woodland, marshland and wetland, saltmarsh, arable land, gardens and in recent years it has taken up residence in urban areas.

The foxes diet consists of a range of items depending on where its territory is, those that live by the coast on salt marshes will eat crabs and anything dead on the shoreline such as dead sea birds. In woodland, rural and lowland habitats they will hunt rabbits, voles, small birds and invertebrates such as worms and beetles, they are also known to eat fruit especially blackberries. They are opportunistic will eat food left by people in urban areas

The UK’s fox population is thought to be stable, although large numbers are killed by cars, gamekeepers and farmers each year

The fox appears in the folklore of many cultures, but especially European and East Asian, as a figure of cunning, trickery, or as a familiar animal possessed of magic powers, and sometimes associated with transformation. Literature, film, television, games, music, and other forms of cultural expression may reflect the folklore image and reputation.