Can someone answer this question about the fox

[GP1]

Was the fox an inhabitant of the UK if not when did the fox get introduced to the UK ?

[Greenhunter]

I believe it is indigenous but not 100%.

If it isn't then you can probably blame the Romans or the Victorians

(since they like to hunt them so much).

 

 

GH

[GP1]

Just found this

On the BBC's Hunting TalkingPoint site, one participant said: "The fox is not 'our [britain's] natural wildlife', it was introduced from France for the sport of the Normans and to help keep down the rabbits they had previously introduced here (another non-native species) and which had got out of control.  Is this true?

 

so still none the wiser

[Essex Keeper]

For other uses, see Red Fox (disambiguation).

Red fox

Temporal range: Mid-Pleistocene–Recent

 

European red fox (V. v. crucigera), British Wildlife Centre, Surrey

Conservation status

 

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Canidae

Tribe: Vulpini

Genus: Vulpes

Species: V. vulpes

Binomial name

Vulpes vulpes

(Linnaeus, 1758)[2]

Subspecies

45 ssp., see text

 

Distribution of the red fox (green - native, blue - introduced, orange - presence uncertain).

Synonyms

Canis vulpes Linnaeus, 1758

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the largest of the true foxes and the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire Northern Hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America and Asia. Its range has increased alongside human expansion, having been introduced to Australia, where it is considered harmful to native mammal and bird populations. Because of these factors, it is listed as Least Concern for extinction by the IUCN.[1] Due to its presence in Australia, it is included among the IUCN's list of the "world's 100 worst invasive species".[3]

The red fox originated from smaller-sized ancestors from Eurasia during the Middle Villafranchian period,[4] and colonised North America shortly after the Wisconsin glaciation.[5] Among the true foxes, the red fox represents a more progressive form in the direction of carnivory.[6] Apart from its large size, the red fox is distinguished from other fox species by its ability to adapt quickly to new environments and, unlike most of its related species, is not listed as endangered anywhere. Despite its name, the species often produces individuals with abnormal colourings, including albinos and melanists.[7] Forty-five subspecies are currently recognised,[8] which are divided into two categories: the large northern foxes, and the small southern foxes of Asia and the Middle East.[9]

Red foxes are often together in pairs or small groups consisting of families, such as a mated pair and their young, or a male with several females having kinship ties. The young of the mated pair remain with their parents to assist in caring for new kits.[10] The species primarily feeds on small rodents, though it may also target leporids, game birds, reptiles, invertebrates[11] and young ungulates.[12] Fruit and vegetable matter is also eaten on occasion.[13] Although the red fox tends to displace or even kill smaller predators, it is nonetheless vulnerable to attack from larger predators, such as wolves, coyotes, golden jackals and medium- and large-sized felines.[14]

The species has a long history of association with humans, having been extensively hunted as a pest and furbearer for centuries, as well as being prominently represented in human folklore and mythology. Because of its widespread distribution and large population, the red fox is one of the most important furbearing animals harvested for the fur trade.[15]

[CharlieT]

They are presumed to be native as reference to foxes appears in the earliest known records.