Gray Fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus
Gray Fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus. Photograph taken in the greater Bahía de los Ángeles, Baja Calfornia Sur, November 2008. Photograph courtesy of George Flicker, Bahía de los Ángeles, Baja California. Identification courtesy of Mary & George Flicker, Bahía de los Ángeles.
Gray Fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus. Photograph taken in the greater Bahía de los Ángeles, Baja Calfornia Sur, January 2002. Photograph courtesy of George Flicker, Bahía de los Ángeles, Baja California. Identification courtesy of Mary & George Flicker, Bahía de los Ángeles.
The Gray Fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus, is a member of the Canidae family of Dogs. The Canidae family consists of thirty-six members placed in twelve genera. There are two species in the Urocyon genus. The Gray Fox is known in Mexico as Zorro Gris.
Gray Foxes have long bodies and fairly short legs. They have coarse, salt and pepper gray fur with black markings on their head, nose, and muzzle. Their legs and chest are reddish in color and they have white fur on their throat, mid-belly, and the insides of their legs. They have a long, bushy tail that is gray in color with a black tip and a distinct black stripe on the dorsal side. A thin black stripe runs from the outside corner of each eye to the sides of their head. A thicker black stripe runs from the inner corner of each eye to their mouth. Individuals living in higher elevations tend to be larger than those living in lower elevations. Slight sexual dimorphism is displayed with the males growing slightly larger and having a longer pelvis than the females. Gray Foxes are 76 cm (2 feet 6 inches) to 1.12 m (3 feet 8 inches) in length (including the tail), and stand between 30.5 cm (12 inches) and 40.6 cm (16 inches) in height measured at the shoulder. They weigh between 3.2 kg (7 lbs 0 oz) and 6.4 kg (14 lbs 0 oz).
Gray Foxes are solitary animals and socialize only during mating season. They are typically monogamous, mating with only one partner during a breeding season. While they stay mated for at least one breeding season, a pair may remain together for life. Mated pairs spend significant time together traveling, foraging, and resting. Male-female pairings form in the fall and breeding occurs in the winter. During October and September, attracting mates becomes more competitive and males typically display more aggression while retaining and defending mates. Breeding occurs in yearly cycles, beginning in January through late February, continuing into March. Latitude appears to influence the breeding season with northern populations breeding later than southern populations. Gestation lasts for about 2 months (53 days) and the young are born in April and May. Before birth, the male does the majority of the hunting while the female prepares a suitable den. Dens are created in dense brush, cavities in stumps and trees, rocky crevices, or under buildings such as barns and sheds. Litters typically consist of 3 to 7 young, called kits, that each weigh approximately 86 g at birth. Kits are precocial, being born blind with very little fur. Kits open their eyes after about 10 days and will venture out of the den after about 4 weeks. After 10 weeks, they are weaned with the father providing solid food for the entire family. When the kits are about 4 months old, both parents teach them how to hunt. Kits practice skills such as stalking and pouncing. Kits depend on their parents for defense until about 10 months of age, at which point they become sexually mature and disperse. Gray Foxes have lifespands of six to ten years in the wild and live slightly longer in captivity.
Gray Foxes are incredibly shy and secretive, they are rarely seen at all and seldom seen in the daylight. They are crepuscular and spend the day near water in brushy thickets, rocky outcrops, hollow trees or logs, in abandoned buildings, or occasionally in underground burrows. The Gray Fox is one of two species in the Canidae Family that climb trees. They have rotating wrists and semi-retractable claws that help them climb up high to den, forage, or escape predators. This is a risky behavior, as they are not great at climbing down and can easily injure themselves in the process. Gray Foxes are omnivores and consume a wide variety of foods including voles, mice, rabbits, birds, lizards, insects, corn, apples, berries, nuts, and grass. They are strong swimmers and will use water as a hunting method. They chase their prey into water where it drowns, allowing the fox to swim over to retrieve their food. They are also skilled ambush predators and use their unique coloration to blend into their environment, waiting patiently to ambush passing rabbits and small rodents. Gray Foxes are one of the fastest breeds of fox, reaching a top speed of 67 kilometers (42 miles) per hour.
The Gray Fox may be confused with the Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes (larger in size, 46 cm to 61 in height at the shoulders, black legs, white-tipped tail).)
From a conservation perspective, the Gray Fox is considered to be of Least Concern with a widespread distribution in a variety of habitats, abundance in urban areas, and stable populations. While there are no major range-wide threats for this species, extreme habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation present a threat in regions where humans are expanding and converting habitat for agricultural, industrial, and urban uses. Some Gray Fox populations also suffer from canine distemper, canine parvovirus, and rabies. Commercial use of the Gray Fox is somewhat limited and in Mexico; however, they are frequently sold illegally as pets.