What does the den of a fox look like?

Question

My daughter just moved into a home in rural Michigan, with a very large hole, or burrow, next to it. You can see that some animal dug it out. It goes down right next to the house, between bushes, about 3 ft deep & curves so we can't see where it goes. Can't see any pawprints around. We heard that Coyotes have been seen not too far away.

Answer 1

The traditional fox den is usually a solitary entrance hole.  Also, being from Michigan I've seen foxes around rural areas. So it's a good chance it's a foxes den, but it could also be number of other animals.

Answer 2

Like this:

http://www.wildnatureimages.com/Fox_Den_...

Fox den:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/wild...

Answer 3

A fox's den, called an earth, is usually just a hole in the ground. Foxes do not line their sleeping places, but sleep on bare earth (hence the name). They are untidy creatures that often leave the remains of their kills around the entrance to the earth. Your hole could indeed be a fox earth, but since you describe it as being 'very large' it's more likely to be the den of a coyote, or even a badger (though these are less common near humans than foxes or coyotes). Foxes are small animals and the entrance to their earths are not much larger than they are - the whole idea is to prevent larger animals getting in.