If you’ve spotted a small, russet-coloured animal trotting through your yard at dusk, you’ve likely met one of Montclair’s most adaptable wild neighbours.

Foxes have become increasingly visible in suburban and urban areas across New Jersey, and understanding their behaviour helps us coexist with them peacefully.

What they look like

Red foxes are often mistaken for small dogs, but a few features set them apart: a slender, pointed snout, large upright ears, black “socks” on their legs, and a long, bushy tail tipped in white. Adults typically weigh between 8 and 15 pounds — smaller than most people expect. Despite the name, red foxes can also appear in “silver” or “cross” colour variations, though the classic reddish-orange coat is most common here.

Family life

Foxes are largely monogamous, and a mated pair will often stay together for several breeding seasons. Mating occurs in mid-winter, January to February, with pups born about 50 days later, usually in March or April. Litters average four to six pups, born blind and dark-furred in an underground den — often a repurposed groundhog burrow, a space beneath a shed, or a quiet spot under a deck.

Both parents help raise the pups, and sometimes an older sibling from a previous litter will stay on to help — a behaviour called “helping” that’s fairly unusual among carnivores. By early summer, pups begin exploring outside the den, and by autumn they disperse to establish their own territories, which is often when sightings of young, less cautious foxes increase.

Daily habits

Foxes are technically crepuscular and nocturnal, most active at dawn, dusk, and overnight — though it’s not unusual to see one during the day, especially when a den nearby has hungry pups to feed.

A daytime sighting is not, by itself, a sign of illness. A healthy fox will typically look alert, move with purpose, and startle at human presence.

Foxes are opportunistic omnivores. Their diet includes small mammals like voles and mice, insects, fruit, and — unfortunately — unsecured pet food, compost, or garbage when available. A fox’s hunting style is distinctive: they use the earth’s magnetic field alongside sound to execute a high-arcing pounce, dubbed the “mousing leap,” to pin down prey hidden in grass or snow.

Territory and range

A single fox family’s territory can range from less than a mile to several miles, depending on food availability — suburban areas with abundant food sources often support smaller territories than rural ones. Foxes mark territory with urine and scent glands, and will generally avoid direct conflict with coyotes, which are a natural threat and competitor.

Living alongside foxes

Foxes are naturally wary of people and offer real benefits to a neighbourhood, particularly rodent control. A few simple practices support healthy coexistence.

• Secure food sources. Keep pet food indoors, secure compost and trash bins, and avoid feeding foxes directly — a fed fox loses its natural caution around people.
• Check under sheds and decks in spring. If you find a den with pups, the most helpful thing to do is leave it undisturbed; the family will move on naturally within a couple of months.
• Keep small pets safe. Cats and small dogs should be supervised outdoors, particularly at dawn and dusk, though foxes generally avoid confrontation with pets.
• Give them space. If you encounter a fox, making noise or simply moving away is usually enough to send it on its way.

Foxes rarely pose a danger to people. Signs that warrant caution — not panic — include a fox that shows no fear of humans, stumbles, circles repeatedly, or is active during the day and appears disoriented or aggressive. These can be reported to Montclair Animal Control.

With a little awareness, foxes can be one of the more rewarding wild neighbours to share a yard with — a reminder of how much wildlife persists even in well-settled towns like ours.