Fox Population by Country 2024

Foxes are one of the most adaptable and widespread mammals, found on every continent except Antarctica. There are thirty species of foxes globally, but only twelve are classified as 'true foxes'.

The red fox, native to the Northern Hemisphere, is found in North America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. It was introduced to Australia in the 19th century. Red foxes are versatile in their habitat preferences, living in woodlands, human neighborhoods, wetlands, fields, and urban areas like yards, parks, and golf courses.

The Fennec fox, or desert fox, inhabits the Sahara desert in Africa and the Arava and Negev deserts in Southern Israel. To cope with extreme heat, these foxes burrow into dunes, particularly favoring small, stable sand dunes, and can be found in remote sandy regions. However, their population is threatened by habitat loss, hunting, and vehicle accidents.

Kit foxes, distributed in Northern and Central Mexico and the Southwestern United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, and Utah, typically reside in dry or semi-arid environments such as desert scrub, grasslands, and chaparral. The San Joaquin Kit fox, native to California, is currently classified as endangered.

The Cape fox inhabits the sub-Saharan desert in Africa and is widespread in South Africa, including Zimbabwe. Highly adaptive to harsh environments, they regulate their body temperature through panting and can reabsorb water from their urine.

Arctic foxes thrive in the cold regions of Northern Europe, Northern Asia, North America, Greenland, Canada, and Russia. Their coats are specially adapted to maintain a body temperature of 104 °F. As omnivores, Arctic foxes have a varied diet that includes birds, seal pups, berries, and seaweed, and they tend to hunt near their dens to defend their territory.