Wildwood Zoo is pleased to announce the arrival of “Jasper”, a male red fox.
He is about 6 months old and is a lighter “true” red in coloring. Jasper remained off exhibit for the past month to acclimate to his new caretakers and ensure he was medically up to date. He was donated to the zoo as a companion for Felix, our current red fox. Jasper is a very calm, curious, and playful individual who is a joy to work with.
The two foxes were carefully introduced this week and are doing extremely well together. He has already begun bonding with his zookeepers and has shown a great affinity for training and learning new behaviors to assist in his care. Both Jasper and Felix will be moved into the vacant, old Cougar Exhibit next year after renovations are completed.
Red foxes are the most common fox species in the world, and the largest of the true foxes. They are typically about 3 feet long and 2 feet tall with a red-orange coat, white belly and throat, white-tipped tail, and black ears and legs. They have a long, narrow snout and large, pointed ears. Their proportions can vary with their ecosystem; desert-dwelling foxes are taller and lankier with thinner coats, while foxes from colder places are more short, stocky, and fluffy. They make a range of vocalizations from soft huffs and whines to loud coughing sounds (called gekkering), barks, and screams. Families will often stay together and share a territory, which may overlap with other families’ territories.
There is considerable variation in color morphs of red foxes. Natural coloring ranges from typical reddish-orange to shades of yellow and tan, nearly white, or almost entirely black. Silver foxes are the most common morph in North America, with a predominantly black coat and silver mottling across the face and back.
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