Foxes are medium-sized members of the Canidae family. They are relatives of jackals, dogs, and wolves; however, they are not pack animals like those distant kin. Their babies are known as kits, and while the 1 litter per year is being reared, the female is intensely protective of her brood of up to 11. The male brings food and the female nurtures the family in an underground burrow. The kits open their eyes 9 days after birth and stay with their parents for another 7 months.

The average life span of a wild fox is 2 to 5 years, although they can live up to 14 years in captivity. Foxes are hunted and trapped for their hides, killed as perceived pests, and hunted for recreation in Canada, France, the United States, Italy, Ireland, and Russia.

Some fox species have become well-adapted to human civilization, creating their dens in gardens and around houses.