Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Wary Gray Fox

By: Tom Berg

Most foxes are secretive by nature.  North America is home to both gray and red foxes, and both tend to be nocturnal and mostly hunt at night.  But the gray fox seems to be even more elusive than its slightly larger cousin, the red fox.  Gray foxes can be found throughout most of the United States and Mexico, although they are absent from the northwest USA.  Even though they are common in many places, they are not often seen by people.

As might be expected, gray foxes are mostly gray in color.  Their back and face are a salt-and-pepper gray color, and their gray tail is black on top and red below with a dark black tip.  Their legs, neck and ears are a warm reddish color, while their chest is white.  Most gray foxes measure 12-16 inches tall at the shoulder and weigh 8-12 pounds.  Some large males might weigh 15 pounds.

Gray foxes are sometimes called “tree foxes” because of their unusual ability to climb trees.  In fact, they are the only North American canine species capable of climbing trees.  Their front feet have retractable claws that they use for climbing up tree trunks, and when climbing down they usually back down slowly like a cat.

The gray fox is an omnivorous mammal, meaning they will eat almost anything – whether it is plant or animal.  One of their favorite foods is the cottontail rabbit.  However, they will also eat mice, squirrels, songbirds, waterfowl and frogs.  Insects are also on the menu, including cicadas, grasshoppers, beetles and almost anything else they can catch.  When fruit is available, they are happy to eat berries, apples, grapes and even nuts.

Gray foxes do not seem to be adversely affected by coyote populations, unlike red foxes which are often displaced by coyotes.  The gray foxes may be able to avoid the larger coyotes simply by climbing trees when confronted by them, thus avoiding predation.  The photo of the gray fox shown here was taken by former Indiana resident Alan Garbers near his new home in Arizona.

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