Gray Fox

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For other uses, see Gray Fox (disambiguation).

Gray Fox
Conservation status
Least concern (LC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Canidae Genus: Urocyon Species: U. cinereoargenteus
Binomial name
Urocyon cinereoargenteus (Schreber, 1775)

The Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) is a species of fox ranging from southern Canada, throughout most of the lower United States and Central America, to Venezuela. This species and the closely related Island Fox are the only living members of the genus Urocyon, which is considered to be among the most primitive of the living canids.

[edit] Description

The gray fox has a gray back, tawny sides, neck and legs, a white belly, and a black stripe along its back and tail. Another black stripe crosses its face from the nose to the eye and continuing to the side of the head. Standing about 12-16 inches at the shoulders, weighing up to 16 pounds and having an overall body length of up to 47 inches, the gray fox is an agile canid able to scurry up and down trees with relative ease. The pelage is coarse when compared to other foxes, with the face, upper part of the head, flanks, back and most of the tail gray. The throat and undersides are whitish, and the ventral surface of the tail tends toward a rusty brown. The individual hairs along the middle of the back and top of the tail are heavily tipped with black, giving the appearance of a dark mane. The back and tail bear black-tipped bristles which stand erect during body posturing displays.

[edit] Habitat and Diet

Gray foxes are forest dwellers, and are the only other canids (besides raccoon dogs) able to climb trees. They prefer deciduous woodlands or partially open brush land with little human activity. While diet varies depending upon time of year, they prey mainly upon cottontail rabbits, though small rodents, birds and insects are staples as well; these foxes also forage for fruits and berries, and tend to eat more vegetable material than does the red fox.

The face of a taxidermied Gray Fox

[edit] Compared to the red fox

The red fox is the most commonly known fox. The grey fox has a coat one inch shorter than the red and is limited to warmer climates than the red, which can be found in polar regions. Its tail, however is more luxuriant. Both foxes tend to travel in a straight line when not hunting or being hunted. The grey is more reclusive and less tolerant of human presence. They mate in February, at the same time as the coyote and a few weeks after the red fox.

[edit] References

• Cypher et al (2004). Urocyon cinereoargenteus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
• Urocyon cinereoargenteus (TSN 180609). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 18 March 2006.
• Goddard-Taylor, Gayle (Winter 2005-2006). "The Silver Ghost: The life and times of the grey fox". Sanctuary: The Journal of the Massachusetts Audubon Society 45 (2): 13-15.