American red fox

American red fox
Temporal range: Middle Pleistocene – present

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Vulpes
Species:
Subspecies:
V. v. fulva
Trinomial name
Vulpes vulpes fulva
Desmarest, 1820
Synonyms
  • V. v. pennsylvanicus Rhoads, 1894
  • Vulpes fulva
  • Vulpes fulva fulva
  • Vulpes vulpes fulvus

The American red fox (Vulpes vulpes fulva) is a North American subspecies of the red fox. It is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, occurring in North America. This subspecies is most likely the ancestor of the domesticated silver fox.