Fox

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This article is about the mob in Minecraft. For the DLC pet mob in Minecraft Dungeons, see MCD:Arctic Fox. For the seasonal adventure pet mob in Minecraft Dungeons, see MCD:Fox. For the animal in Minecraft Legends, see MCL:Fox.
Fox

Snow Fox.png: Infobox image for Fox the entity in Minecraft

Adult

Baby Snow Fox.png: Infobox image for Fox the entity in Minecraft

Baby

Invicon Fox Spawn Egg.png: Inventory sprite for Fox Spawn Egg in Minecraft as shown in-game with description: Fox Spawn Egg
Health points

10HP♥♥♥♥♥

Behavior

Passive (wild)
Neutral (trust a different player)

Mob type

Animal

Attack
strength

Easy and Normal: 2HP♥
Hard: 3HP♥♥

Hitbox size

Adult:
Height: 0.7 blocks
Width: 0.6 blocks
Baby:
Height: 0.35 blocks
Width: 0.3 blocks

Speed

0.3

Spawn

Grove
Snowy Taiga
Old Growth Pine Taiga
Old Growth Spruce Taiga
Taiga

Usable items

A fox is a neutral mob that spawns in cold and snowy forested biomes. A fox can carry a single item in its mouth, but foxes prefer food to other items.

Spawning[edit | edit source]

Foxes spawn in groups of two to four, and can spawn on grass blocks, coarse dirt, podzol, snow blocks, and snow. 5% of them spawn as babies.

Foxes have two color variants, red and snow, which depend on the biome they spawn in. Red foxes spawn in taigas, old growth pine taigas, and old growth spruce taigas, while snow foxes spawn in groves and snowy taigas.

When bred, the color of the baby fox that is spawned depends on the color of its parents, regardless of the biome it is born in.

Holding items[edit | edit source]

Foxes have a 20% chance to spawn (via spawn egg or naturally) with one of the following items in their mouth:

Item Chance
JE BE
Emerald 5%
Rabbit's Foot 10%
Rabbit Hide 10%
Egg 15% 20%
Wheat 20%
Leather 20%
Feather 20% 15%

Drops[edit | edit source]

An adult fox drops 1–3XP experience orbs when killed by a player or tamed wolf. Upon successful breeding, 1–7XP are dropped. Killing a baby fox yields no experience.

Foxes always drop any item they pick up and are still holding (they cannot drop food that they have eaten, for example) and drop items they spawn with naturally with a 100% chance, so:

Drop Chance
JE BE
Emerald 1%
Rabbit's Foot 2%
Rabbit Hide 2%
Egg 3% 4%
Wheat 4%
Leather 4%
Feather 4% 3%

If a fox is killed while holding a totem of undying, then the fox consumes the totem and revives itself instead of dropping the totem.

Behavior[edit | edit source]

Foxes occasionally make loud screeches during nighttime, unless a trusted player is near them. Baby foxes follow adult foxes.

During the night, foxes sometimes go to villages. Snow foxes go to snow villages and red foxes go to any other type of village, most often taiga villages since foxes spawn in the taiga biome.

Foxes flee from nearby wolves, polar bears or players unless the player is trusted or approaches them while sneaking. They take no damage or speed reduction while moving through sweet berry bushes.

An animation showing a fox's jump during an attack on a chicken.

Foxes attack chickens, rabbits, cod, salmon and tropical fish, and baby turtles while they are on land. Foxes don't attack wolves, polar bears, zoglins, "Johnny" vindicators, wardens or goats even if they are being attacked by them.

Foxes attack either by running against or by pouncing. Like rabbits and goats, foxes can pounce more than one block high without status effects or player input. A fox prepares to pounce by tilting and lowering its head and lowering its body to become shorter. Then it leaps two blocks into the air, jumping over fences and walls if needed. If the target mob moves from its location during this sequence, the pounce misses the target. In Bedrock Edition, foxes also shake side to side before pouncing and their legs wave while in midair.

Foxes can safely fall 5 blocks before they start to accumulate fall damage, unlike most mobs, which can only fall 3 blocks safely.

While foxes are capable of jumping over fences and walls, they cannot see through them.[1] A fox does not try to attack a mob on the same y-level if there is a fence between them.

Red foxes prefer to attack chickens, rabbits and baby turtles, all of which are on land, over cod, salmon, and tropical fish; conversely, snow foxes prefer to attack cod, salmon and tropical fish over land-dwelling creatures.

A snow fox stuck in a snow layer when attacking.

A fox that pounces into a snow layer becomes momentarily stuck, remaining face-down, emitting particles while shaking, and returning to normal shortly after.

Foxes swim to attack fish in water for food. Baby foxes following adults into the water cannot swim and may eventually drown.

Foxes attempt to run toward the closest attackable mob, even if attached to a lead, but do not attempt to break the lead. A fox wakes up from sleeping to attack a mob.

Wild wolves are aggressive toward foxes when within 18‌[JE only]/16‌[BE only] blocks. In Java Edition, adult polar bears also sneak toward foxes to attack them; in Bedrock Edition adult polar bears attack foxes within 16 blocks. In Java Edition, baby polar bears, though normally passive to players, also attempt to attack foxes within 16 blocks or when their adult polar bear attacks one.

Sleeping[edit | edit source]

Foxes are one of the few mobs in the game that can sleep, along with cats, villagers and bats.

During the day, if a thunderstorm is not occurring, foxes attempt to find a space with a sky light level of 14 or less and sleep. Block light has no effect on this. While it sleeps, it slowly moves its head up and down. A fox wakes if approached by a player or mob. Foxes do not flee if the player approaches while sneaking until the player gets on an adjacent block.

If the sky light at the fox's position becomes 15 or above, either due to a block above being destroyed or the fox being moved, the fox wakes up.

Foxes can drop and pick up items in their sleep.

Trusting foxes can fall asleep even if attached to a lead. They can also be moved with leads while sleeping.

Foxes do not sleep if they are within 12 blocks of an armor stand, or a camera in Minecraft Education.

Sitting[edit | edit source]

A fox sits down sometimes during the day if the fox cannot find a shaded area to sleep. The fox sits for a short time, then hops back up. Foxes sit down even when attached to a lead or in a boat. Foxes that have not been bred by the player always sit while in the Nether, even while attached to a lead.

Holding items[edit | edit source]

If any item is on the ground near a fox, it travels to the item and picks it up, and the item appears in the fox's mouth. However, usually a fox chooses to attack a mob over picking up an item. This behavior is not limited to food and animal products; a fox can pick up any item that the player can pick up. However, they prefer to pick up food items, and if they have already picked up non-food items, they drop the non-food items to pick up food instead. A fox can also swap a food item it is holding for a different food item.

A fox with an egg inside its mouth.
A picture of a fox, holding an item in its mouth, sitting on a trapdoor above a sweet berry bush. The berries are on the ground.
A fox harvesting sweet berries without eating them.

A fox eats any food item it picks up (besides cake) after 30 seconds and the fox is affected by any side effects from the food, such as poison or teleportation. For example, if a fox eats an enchanted golden apple, it obtains the Absorption, Resistance, Fire Resistance and Regeneration. If a fox eats any type of soup or stew, an empty bowl is dropped. If a fox eats a chorus fruit, it teleports accordingly.

If there is a stage 3 or 4 sweet berry bush within a 16 block radius of a fox, it sprints toward the bush and eats the sweet berries, dropping the item it was holding. However, if the fox stands on a solid block directly above the sweet berry bush, the fox will harvest the sweet berries, making them drop, but will not eat them or drop the item it was holding. The fox is the only mob not damaged by the sweet berry bush.

Although visually holding items in its mouth, they are functionally being held in its main hand; therefore, the fox is affected by any effects of a given held item. A sword increases its damage, and a totem of undying saves it from death, for instance. If a fox picks up a weapon or an item with enchantments, such as Looting and Fire Aspect, these items affect the fox's attack as if the fox is wielding the weapon in its main hand, although the item retains its durability when used by the fox. If a fox is holding a totem of undying, it receives the effects after taking fatal damage. In Bedrock Edition, if a fox wields a sword with the Fire Aspect enchantment while attacking a mob on a campfire or a soul campfire, it ignites the campfire and does critical damage to the entity.

Foxes do not pick up items when gamerule mobGriefing is set to false.

Breeding[edit | edit source]

When sweet berries or glow berries are used on two foxes, the foxes breed, producing a baby fox. If a red fox is bred with a snow fox, the baby has a 50% chance of being either a red or snow fox.

Trust[edit | edit source]

A trusting fox attacking the player

Breeding two adults with sweet berries or glow berries produces a baby fox that trusts the player. The baby fox trusts the player that bred it and does not flee from that player as it grows up; however, because baby foxes also follow nearby adult foxes, an adult running away from the player may cause the baby to do the same.

A trusting fox, notice it doesn't run from the player, nor attacks the chicken next to it.

Naturally spawned baby foxes do not trust players. Foxes attack specific mobs that hurt a player they trust.

When attacking phantoms, foxes do not jump to attack.

In Bedrock Edition, foxes that trust the player attack any mob that harms their trusted player, including other players. In Java Edition, foxes attack only the sources of damage when their trusted player receives the damage from the following causes:[2]

  • melee attacks from mobs except dolphins, iron golems, wolves, bees, polar bears, killer bunnies, slimes, magma cubes, hoglins or zoglins.[3]
  • projectile damage from arrows, fireballs or wind charges.
  • defensive damage from pufferfish.

Foxes do not retaliate against players who harm them, but they still attack players who damage players they trust.

A trusting fox attacking a zombie that hit the player it trusts.

Trusting foxes retreat from polar bears and wolves but not tamed wolves. A tamed wolf whose owner attacks a trusting fox also attacks the fox.

The player can summon a neutral fox in singleplayer with the command /execute summon fox run data modify entity @s Trusted append from entity @p UUID. Like other neutral mobs, foxes are passive in Peaceful difficulty. Unlike other neutral mobs, a neutral fox is not agravated by firework damage.[4]

Sounds[edit | edit source]

Java Edition:
Foxes use the Friendly Creatures sound category for entity-dependent sound events.

[hide]Sounds
SoundSubtitlesSourceDescriptionResource locationTranslation keyVolumePitchAttenuation
distance
​Fox squeaksFriendly CreaturesRandomly while awakeentity.fox.ambientsubtitles.entity.fox.ambientvaries [sound 1]0.8-1.216
​Fox screechesFriendly CreaturesRandomly at night while awake and no players are cubically within 16 blocks of the fox's hitboxentity.fox.screechsubtitles.entity.fox.screechvaries [sound 2]0.8-1.232
​Fox snoresFriendly CreaturesRandomly while sleepingentity.fox.sleepsubtitles.entity.fox.sleep0.80.8-1.216
​Fox angers[sound 3]Friendly CreaturesWhen a trusted player is attacked by an attackable mobentity.fox.aggrosubtitles.entity.fox.aggro0.651.016
​Fox bitesFriendly CreaturesWhen a fox attacks somethingentity.fox.bitesubtitles.entity.fox.bite0.61.116
​Fox diesFriendly CreaturesWhen a fox diesentity.fox.deathsubtitles.entity.fox.death0.90.8-1.216
​Fox eatsFriendly CreaturesWhen a fox eats an itementity.fox.eatsubtitles.entity.fox.eat0.651.016
​Fox hurtsFriendly CreaturesWhen a fox is damagedentity.fox.hurtsubtitles.entity.fox.hurt0.750.8-1.216
​Fox sniffsFriendly CreaturesWhen a fox is running to a berry bushentity.fox.sniffsubtitles.entity.fox.sniff0.61.016
​Fox spitsFriendly CreaturesWhen a fox drops an itementity.fox.spitsubtitles.entity.fox.spit0.71.016
​Fox teleportsFriendly CreaturesWhen a fox teleports by eating a chorus fruitentity.fox.teleportsubtitles.entity.fox.teleport1.01.016
  1. 1.0 for all except idle1, which is 0.8
  2. 0.9 for all except screech4, which is 0.8
  3. MC-212623

Bedrock Edition:

[hide]Sounds
SoundSourceDescriptionResource locationVolumePitch
Friendly CreaturesRandomly while awakemob.fox.ambient1.0 [sound 1]0.8-1.2 (Baby: 1.3-1.7)
Friendly CreaturesRandomly at night ​[more information needed]mob.fox.screech1.8 [sound 2]0.8-1.2 (Baby: 1.3-1.7)
Friendly CreaturesRandomly while sleepingmob.fox.sleep0.80.8-1.2 (Baby: 1.3-1.7)
Hostile CreaturesWhen a trusted player is attacked by an attackable mobmob.fox.aggro0.650.8-1.2 (Baby: 1.3-1.7)
Hostile CreaturesWhen a fox attacks somethingmob.fox.bite0.60.88-1.32 (Baby: 1.43-1.87)
Friendly CreaturesWhen a fox diesmob.fox.death0.90.8-1.2 (Baby: 1.3-1.7)
Friendly CreaturesWhen a fox eats an itemmob.fox.eat0.650.8-1.2 (Baby: 1.3-1.7)
Friendly CreaturesWhen a fox is damagedmob.fox.hurt0.750.8-1.2 (Baby: 1.3-1.7)
Friendly CreaturesUnused sound event [sound 3]mob.fox.sniff0.60.8-1.2 (Baby: 1.3-1.7)
Friendly CreaturesUnused sound event [sound 3]mob.fox.spit0.70.8-1.2 (Baby: 1.3-1.7)
Hostile CreaturesWhen a fox teleports by eating a chorus fruitmob.shulker.teleport1.01.0
  1. Except for idle1, which is 0.8
  2. Except for screech4, which is 1.6
  3. Jump up to: a b MCPE-127356

Data values[edit | edit source]

ID[edit | edit source]

Java Edition:

NameIdentifierEntity tags[hide]Translation key
EntitySprite fox.png: Sprite image for fox in Minecraft Foxfoxpowder_snow_walkable_mobsentity.minecraft.fox

Bedrock Edition:

NameIdentifierNumeric ID [hide]Translation key
EntitySprite fox.png: Sprite image for fox in Minecraft Foxfox121entity.fox.name

Entity data[edit | edit source]

Foxes have entity data associated with them that contain various properties.

Java Edition:

Main article: Entity format
  • [NBT Compound / JSON Object] Entity data
    • Additional fields for mobs that can breed see Template:Nbt inherit/breedable/template[show]
    • Tags common to all entities see Template:Nbt inherit/entity/template[show]
    • Tags common to all mobs see Template:Nbt inherit/mob/template[show]
    • [Byte] Crouching: 1 or 0 (true/false) – Whether the fox is crouching.
    • [Byte] Sitting: 1 or 0 (true/false) – Whether the fox is sitting.
    • [Byte] Sleeping: 1 or 0 (true/false) – Whether the fox is sleeping.
    • [NBT List / JSON Array] Trusted: A list of players that the fox trusts. For a list with more than 2 elements, only the first and the last are considered.
      • [Int Array]: The UUID of each trusted player, stored as four ints.
    • [String] Type: ID of the fox's type.

Fox Type[show][edit]

Main article: Fox/DV

Bedrock Edition:

See Bedrock Edition level format/Entity format.

Achievements[edit | edit source]

[hide]
IconAchievementIn-game descriptionActual requirements (if different)Gamerscore earnedTrophy type (PS)
PS4Other
It SpreadsKill a mob next to a catalyst10Bronze
OverkillDeal nine hearts of damage in a single hit.Damage can be dealt to any mob, even those that do not have nine hearts of health overall.30Bronze
Over-OverkillDeal 50 hearts of damage in a single hit using the Mace20Silver

Advancements[edit | edit source]

IconAdvancementIn-game descriptionActual requirements (if different)
A Throwaway JokeThrow a Trident at something.
Note: Throwing away your only weapon is not a good idea.
Hit a mob with a thrown trident.
AdventureAdventure, exploration and combatKill any mob, or be killed by any living entity.
ArbalisticKill five unique mobs with one crossbow shotArmor Stand also counts for this advancement.
This is a hidden advancement, meaning that it can be viewed by the player only after completing it, regardless of if its child advancement(s), if any, have been completed.
It SpreadsKill a mob near a Sculk Catalyst Mobs that drop no experience as well as the ender dragon are ignored for this advancement.
Over-OverkillDeal 50 hearts of damage in a single hit using the Mace
Take AimShoot something with an ArrowUsing a bow or a crossbow, shoot a mob with an arrow, tipped arrow, or spectral arrow.
The Parrots and the BatsBreed two animals together A mule must be the result of breeding a horse and a donkey for this advancement as they are not breedable together. Other breedable mobs are ignored for this advancement.
Two by TwoBreed all the animals! A trader llama does not count as a llama, and a mule must be the result of breeding a horse and a donkey for this advancement as they are not breedable together. Other breedable mobs can be bred, but are ignored for this advancement.

History[edit | edit source]

September 26, 2018Foxes are announced to be part of the biome vote at MINECON Earth 2018.
September 29, 2018Foxes are showcased at MINECON Earth 2018.
September 29, 2018Taiga wins the biome vote, meaning foxes are to be added to the game.
[hide]Java Edition
1.1419w07a Added red foxes, snow foxes, and baby foxes.
19w08aFoxes can no longer have armor equipped onto them with a dispenser.
The bounding box and eye height of foxes have been changed, which prevents them from drowning when swimming.
Foxes that trusted the player in the previous snapshot no longer trust them.
The list tag that is used for the trusted players of foxes has been renamed from UUIDs to TrustedUUIDs.
Foxes now drop any item they're holding if they can pick up a food item.
Foxes no longer have a chance of dropping multiple of a held item when killed with the looting effect, rendering duplicating items in this fashion impossible.
19w09aSpecial effects of certain food, such as spider eyes and chorus fruit, now apply to foxes when they consume the food.
Foxes now attack tropical fish and pufferfish.
19w12aAdvancement "Two by Two" now requires foxes.
19w14aFox model is no longer to the side of the shadow.
Pre-Release 2The baby fox model is no longer to the side of the shadow.
Foxes can now turn their heads.
The baby fox head is no longer off-center.
Pre-Release 3Foxes no longer get stuck after pouncing.
Foxes no longer walk/slide when sleeping.
Pre-Release 4Foxes now have 10HP♥♥♥♥♥ health, down from 20HP♥ × 10.
1.14.3Pre-Release 3Hostile foxes are no longer afraid when attacking wolves and players.[5]
1.15Pre-Release 2Foxes now spawn in all taiga variants.
1.1620w21aThe sound event used by foxes when teleporting (from having consumed a chorus fruit) is now distinct from the sound event used for players.[6]
1.1721w05aFoxes now eat glow berries.
Foxes can now walk on top of powder snow without falling in.
1.1821w44aFoxes can now spawn on podzol, coarse dirt, and snow blocks.
1.20.223w32aSweet berries being eaten by foxes now emit a block_change vibration of frequency 11.
[hide]Bedrock Edition
1.13.0beta 1.13.0.1 Added red foxes, snow foxes, and baby foxes.
1.16.220
Experiment
Caves and Cliffs
beta 1.16.220.52Foxes now eat glow berries.
1.17.0beta 1.17.0.50Foxes can now walk on top of powder snow without falling in.
1.20.80Preview 1.20.80.21Foxes now spawn less frequently in groves.
1.21.30Preview 1.21.30.24Foxes now have 10HP♥♥♥♥♥ health, down from 20HP♥ × 10.
1.21.50Preview 1.21.50.20Foxes can now pick up bundles.
1.21.60Preview 1.21.60.21Foxes now periodically play their "mad" sound while defending a player.

Issues[edit | edit source]

Issues relating to "Fox" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Java Edition

  • MC-229347 – Untamed cats, ocelots & foxes no longer run away on peaceful difficulty
  • MC-263591 – Foxes can get stuck diving
  • MC-264989 – Foxes can get stuck under blocks and drown while swimming
  • MC-265014 – Tamed foxes can't attack properly
  • MC-267096 – Foxes don't faceplant when stuck in snow
  • MC-163856 – Foxes can ignore honey blocks and jump when preying
  • MC-93491 – Wolves, cats, parrots and pandas not sitting in minecart/boat / Foxes not permanently sitting in boat
  • MC-159815 – Foxes eat honey within bottles instead of drinking it
  • MC-172371 – Trusting foxes don't defend players from hoglins/zoglins
  • MC-198242 – Sleeping fox model is not centered inside the hitbox
  • And 22 other open issues.

Bedrock Edition

  • MCPE-178487 – Foxes don’t pick up non-stackable items like swords and totems
  • MCPE-55177 – The fox getting stuck in snow animation doesn't work it just stands still in the air
  • MCPE-186536 – Trusted foxes run from tamed wolves
  • MCPE-188346 – Baby and adult foxes get stuck in scaffolding
  • MCPE-48072 – Polar bear cubs do not attack foxes
  • MCPE-74042 – Polar bears chase players and foxes very slowly
  • MCPE-120340 – Foxes sleep on top of slabs, even in broad daylight
  • MCPE-124418 – Foxes take fall damage when jumping on snow layers, tall grass, and wool carpets
  • MCPE-127356 – Minecraft bedrock foxes not making spit or sniff sound
  • MCPE-153135 – The fox automatically places items (armor, mob heads, carved pumpkin, etc.) in armor slots
  • And 7 other open issues.

Trivia[edit | edit source]

  • The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and the Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) are two different species in real life, so they cannot produce fertile offspring like they can in-game.
  • In the real world, some species of fox jump high to catch their prey by surprise, an action reflected in their Minecraft counterpart.
  • When foxes were being added into Minecraft, a glitch made them look like boxes.[7]
  • Baby foxes are small enough that when they swim, they take drowning damage. This is noticeable when they attempt to attack fish.
  • There is a splash screen "In case it isn't obvious, foxes aren't players" in the game, which was added from the description of the bug MC-166292.
  • The first and third screeching sounds foxes make are the same. The first sound is the third in reverse, but higher-pitched, and the third is the first in reverse, but lower-pitched.
  • Fox sounds are actually combined and heavily edited cat and dog sounds.[8]

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Renders[edit | edit source]

Screenshots[edit | edit source]

Textures[edit | edit source]

Official artwork[edit | edit source]

In other media[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. MC-144623 — resolved as "Won't Fix".
  2. MC-166787 — resolved as "Won't Fix".
  3. MC-172371
  4. MC-111498 — Fireworks and water bottles damage don't make neutral mobs angry or hostile — resolved as "Fixed".
  5. MC-147619 — Foxes that trust a player still avoid wolves and other players they're angry toward instead pursuing them — resolved as "Fixed".
  6. MC-166292
  7. "Village & Pillage: Ten Things You Probably Didn't Know About Minecraft" – Mojang on YouTube
  8. "The Secrets of Minecraft: Death Sounds, Secret Animals, and Other Delights! @4:35" – Minecraft on YouTube, November 19, 2021

External links[edit | edit source]

Navigation[edit | edit source]