ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Sexual behavior of red foxes

Okay kiddo, so you know how there are boy foxes and girl foxes, right? Just like there are boy and girl humans. Well, sometimes boy foxes and girl foxes like each other in a special way.

When a boy fox likes a girl fox, he will try to impress her by bringing her food or making nice noises. If the girl fox likes him back, she might rub her nose against his and wag her tail. This is called "mating behavior".

Then, if they really like each other, they will do something called "mating", which is when the boy fox puts his private parts inside the girl fox's private parts (kind of like how a key fits into a lock) and they make baby foxes.

But, just like people, not all boy foxes and girl foxes like each other that way. Some just want to be friends, and that's okay too!