True foxes are distinguished from members of the genus Canis, such as domesticated dogs, wolves, jackals and coyotes, by their smaller size (5–11 kg), longer, bushier tail, and flatter skull.

[3] They have black, triangular markings between their eyes and nose, and the tip of their tail is often a different color from the rest of their pelt.

V. skinneri, from the Malapa Fossil Site from South Africa, is younger than V. riffautae by roughly 5 million years, and shows up in the early Pleistocene.

V. stenognathus[12] is extinct, but has extant sister taxa including V. chama, V. rueppellii, V. velox, and V. vulpes, which fits with these species all evolving together in North America.

[citation needed] True foxes are small to medium-sized animals, usually smaller than other canines, such as wolves, dogs, and jackals.

[17] Vulpes species have vertically slit pupils, which generally appear elliptical in strong light like those of cats, which provide them with significant advantages.

[18] Like most canids, true foxes have a muscular body, powerful jaws, and teeth for grasping prey.

[19] Some species have a pungent "foxy" odor, arising mainly from a gland located on the dorsal surface of the tail, not far from its base.

[21] On the other hand, the Arctic fox has small ears and a thick, insulating coat to keep the body warm.

[23] The other foxes in this group (Bengal, Cape, corsac, fennec, kit, pale, and swift) all possess black-tipped or dark-tipped tails.

[25] In certain areas, foxes tend to do better where humans are present, including in many agricultural landscapes,[26] forests and patchy woodlands.

Most true foxes are nocturnal, but they can be active during the morning and dusk and occasionally hunt and scavenge in daylight during winter.

True foxes exhibit hoarding behavior or caching where they store away food for another day out of sight from other animals.

Juvenile foxes face a wider range of threats from small carnivores and large birds of prey, such as eagles.

[33] Born deaf and blind, kits or cubs require their mother's milk and complete supervision for the first four to five weeks out of the womb, but begin to be progressively weaned after the first month.

[36] After 50 years, the friendly foxes developed “dog-like” domesticated traits such as spots, tail wagging, enjoyment of human touch, and barking.