---
title: "coyote vs red fox — size, speed and bite force"
description: "coyote and red fox compared on mass, length, speed, bite force and lifespan — every measure side by side, with why the numbers cannot settle an encounter."
url: https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/coyote-vs-red-fox/
site: "At One Place"
---

# coyote vs red fox

**coyote vs red fox: coyote leads on 5 of 5 measures**

Measured comparison — not a prediction

A mid-sized North American canid that has expanded its range as wolves have contracted theirs. The most widely distributed wild carnivore on Earth, at home from tundra to city centre. On the measurements below, coyote leads on more of them — but they do not all point the same way, and the ones that disagree are the interesting part.

## The measurements

|  | coyote | red fox |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mass | 7–21 kg | 2.2–14 kg |
| Length | 0.7–1 m | 0.45–0.9 m |
| Height | 0.55–0.66 m | 0.4 m |
| Top speed | 65 km/h | 50 km/h |
| Lifespan | 6–14 yr | 2–15 yr |

## Where each one leads

- Mass: coyote is 2.2× heavier.
- Length: coyote is 1.3× longer.
- Height: coyote is 1.5× taller.
- Top speed: coyote is 1.3× faster.
- Lifespan: coyote is 2.0× a longer life.

## What this does and does not tell you

These are measured averages with real ranges behind them, and every figure links to its own page. What they cannot do is settle an encounter. Outcomes between animals turn on circumstance — who initiates, whether either is hungry, defending young, injured or cornered, and what the terrain favours. Size and bite force are not decisive on their own, and most of these pairs never meet in the wild in any case, because their ranges do not overlap.

> Every figure here is an average with a substantial spread. Individual animals vary enormously — a large individual of the smaller species routinely exceeds a small individual of the larger one.

## Common questions

### Is a coyote bigger than a red fox?

coyote is heavier — 7–21 kg against 2.2–14 kg.

### Who would win, a coyote or a red fox?

That is not something measurements can settle. The comparison above shows which animal leads on each measure, but an actual encounter depends on circumstance, motivation, health and terrain — and most pairs like this never meet in the wild.

## Related pages

- [How much does a coyote weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/coyote/)
- [How much does a red fox weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/red-fox/)
- [lion vs red fox](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/lion-vs-red-fox/)
- [leopard vs red fox](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/leopard-vs-red-fox/)
- [jaguar vs red fox](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/jaguar-vs-red-fox/)
- [cheetah vs coyote](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-coyote/)
- [cheetah vs red fox](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-red-fox/)
- [cougar vs coyote](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cougar-vs-coyote/)
- [cougar vs red fox](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cougar-vs-red-fox/)
- [domestic cat vs red fox](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/domestic-cat-vs-red-fox/)
- [grizzly bear vs red fox](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/grizzly-bear-vs-red-fox/)
- [polar bear vs red fox](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/polar-bear-vs-red-fox/)
- [American black bear vs coyote](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/american-black-bear-vs-coyote/)
- [American black bear vs red fox](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/american-black-bear-vs-red-fox/)

## Sources

- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — Smithsonian Institution (https://naturalhistory.si.edu/)