Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus)
This guy stopped to search for food in my backyard for several minutes. Gray foxes remain solitary for most of the year. They are primarily a nocturnal animal, but have occasionally been spotted during the daytime as in this photo. Though usually not very large, they can approach 20 pounds in weight.
Gray foxes prefer dens close to a water supply. The den may be located under or between large rocks, in an underground burrow, or even in hollow tree trunks or limbs (they can climb due to their retractable claws). They are the only member of the Canidae that can climb trees. Some of the physical traits unique to the gray fox (e.g., short legs and retractable claws) have lead researchers to suggest that they are one of the more primitive members of the Canidae family. They communicate by barking and growling.
The primary predators of the Gray Fox are bobcats, coyotes, golden eagles, and great-horned owls.
Gray Foxes have oval-shaped pupils and the area around the eyes has a thin black stripe from the outside corner of the eye to the side of the head. Additionally, a thick black stripe runs from the inside corner of the eye, down the muzzle to the mouth. Gray Foxes are sometimes misidentified as Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes), however Red Foxes have slit-shaped eyes, larger feet, longer legs, and a leaner body.
8-22-13. This photo was taken on July 1, 2013. The range of the Gray Fox is not supposed to include my home area (i.e., the extreme northwest area of Michigan's lower peninsula). I figured this guy (gal) was a transient. Today, 8-22-13, as my wife and I sat on our back porch, we saw four (4) Gray Foxes trot across our backyard, spaced about 40 feet apart, one after the other. It caught us quite by surprise and we thought, maybe, it was a mom and her three little ones (though they were nearly the same size and in our surprise we were unable to make an accurate size comparison). We are now convinced that our area should be considered part of the Gray Fox range.
Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus)
This guy stopped to search for food in my backyard for several minutes. Gray foxes remain solitary for most of the year. They are primarily a nocturnal animal, but have occasionally been spotted during the daytime as in this photo. Though usually not very large, they can approach 20 pounds in weight.
Gray foxes prefer dens close to a water supply. The den may be located under or between large rocks, in an underground burrow, or even in hollow tree trunks or limbs (they can climb due to their retractable claws). They are the only member of the Canidae that can climb trees. Some of the physical traits unique to the gray fox (e.g., short legs and retractable claws) have lead researchers to suggest that they are one of the more primitive members of the Canidae family. They communicate by barking and growling.
The primary predators of the Gray Fox are bobcats, coyotes, golden eagles, and great-horned owls.
Gray Foxes have oval-shaped pupils and the area around the eyes has a thin black stripe from the outside corner of the eye to the side of the head. Additionally, a thick black stripe runs from the inside corner of the eye, down the muzzle to the mouth. Gray Foxes are sometimes misidentified as Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes), however Red Foxes have slit-shaped eyes, larger feet, longer legs, and a leaner body.
8-22-13. This photo was taken on July 1, 2013. The range of the Gray Fox is not supposed to include my home area (i.e., the extreme northwest area of Michigan's lower peninsula). I figured this guy (gal) was a transient. Today, 8-22-13, as my wife and I sat on our back porch, we saw four (4) Gray Foxes trot across our backyard, spaced about 40 feet apart, one after the other. It caught us quite by surprise and we thought, maybe, it was a mom and her three little ones (though they were nearly the same size and in our surprise we were unable to make an accurate size comparison). We are now convinced that our area should be considered part of the Gray Fox range.