This is a picture of a Gray Fox, or also known as Urocyon cinereoargenteus. The Gray Fox is short and stocky in it’s stature with a range of 7-15 lbs in adults. Their length ranges from 76-112.5 cm. Their spatial distribution ranges from southern Canada to northern South America in Venezuela and Columbia. The lifespan of a Gray fox is 6-8 years in the wild and 10-12 years if they are in captivity. 

http://animalia.bio/gray-fox

http://perkins.cmnh.org/perkins-wildlife-home/woods-garden/gray-fox

 

          Gray foxes are very solitary individuals once they are free to leave their den. They will go out on their own and mark their territory with scent to warn other organisms that this area has been claimed. The Gray Fox can be found in wooded/rocky forests that have little to no human disturbances. They are nocturnal as well, so they are rarely seen during the daytime. These solitary animals are monogamous when it comes to reproducing. This means that they will have a “marriage” with one other individual that will produce 4-5 kits once a year. These foxes will build dens for their young and both the female and male will raise the kits. This is the only time that the Gray Fox will utilize a den. The Gray Fox is a small omnivore and will eat smaller mammals which includes mice and eastern cottontail rabbits. 

http://animalia.bio/gray-fox

http://perkins.cmnh.org/perkins-wildlife-home/woods-garden/gray-fox

 

            The Gray Fox has some unique features that are very interesting. They can climb trees which is unique to this canine species along with one other. They also have semi-retractable claws. The Gray Fox will store its food in a dug out hole and cover it up. They will then leave their scent on using their scent glands or by urination. This allows them to find the hole another time. 

 

http://perkins.cmnh.org/perkins-wildlife-home/woods-garden/gray-fox

http://animalia.bio/gray-fox

 

Grayson, Renee. 6/7/2019.   https://www.flickr.com/photos/132295270@N07/48024678641/in/album-72157708988379571/                                

         The Gray Fox does have some threats to its population. They are mostly threatened by habitat loss. Habitat loss occurs to human deforestation for industrial or urban expansion. A big threat in Latin America is that they are sold illegally as pets. This is a common occurrence in Mexico. Although these are threats, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species marks the Gray Fox as Least concerned. It is safe to assume that the Gray Fox keeping its population size stable. This can change if we get too carried away with expansion since they only mate once a year with one litter. The Gray Fox plays an important role in keeping rodent population sizes down for their ecological niche. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22780/46178068   http://perkins.cmnh.org/perkins-wildlife-home/woods-garden/gray-fox  http://animalia.bio/gray-fox 

References:

  1.  Frye, Bob. “Taking a Look at The Underappreciated Gray Fox.” TribLIVE.com, 15 Jan. 2020, triblive.com/sports/taking-a-look-at-the-underappreciated-gray-fox/. 
  2. “Gray Fox.” Gray Fox - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio, animalia.bio/gray-fox.    
  3. Grayson, Renee. Photo album, Flicker. https://www.flickr.com/photos/132295270@N07/albums/72157708988379571
  4. “Gray Fox: Cleveland Museum of Natural History.” Perkins Wildlife Center & Woods Garden Presented by KeyBank, 2020, perkins.cmnh.org/perkins-wildlife-home/woods-garden/gray-fox. 

Roemer, Gary, et al. “The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.” IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 1 Mar. 2016, www.iucnredlist.org/species/22780/46178068.