Grey Fox

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Grey Fox

Urocyon cinereoargenteus

 

Though both the Red Fox and the Gray Fox live in South Carolina today, only the Gray Fox is a native species of North America. Gray foxes are mammals in the Order Carnivora and the Family Canidae. Red foxes were introduced into the United States by European fox hunters in the early 1700s.. The Gray Fox is slightly smaller than the Red Fox and is much darker in overall fur coloration. Many people often mistakenly identify the Gray Fox as the Red Fox because of the reddish coloration on the sides of the neck and the legs of the gray fox. The dorsal coloration of the gray fox is a blend of dark and light gray hairs covering the back and tail with a dark streak extending down the backbone, along the top of the tail, and ending in a black tail tip.  Adult gray foxes can weigh as much as red foxes (7-15 pounds) but have shorter legs and shorter fur that makes them appear smaller than the red fox. Gray foxes can be distinguished from red foxes in the field by observing their tracks, which look similar to the tracks of domestic house cats. Since gray foxes are more adapted to warmer climates than the red foxes, there is little or no fur between the toe and footpads which results in a more distinct track than that of the red foxes.

 

Since the expansion of the coyote population eastward into the Carolinas, the gray fox population has survived much better than the red foxes. As coyotes continue to expand their range and become more abundant in areas inhabited by both red and gray foxes, the red foxes are being displaced in the areas while the gray fox population seems to be unaffected. Since gray foxes have the ability to climb trees, it has been speculated that they are able to escape from the coyotes while most of the red foxes are unable to do so.

Gray foxes thrive in a variety of habitats. Populations are found in all major habitat types in the Carolinas including swamps, marshes, pine forests, hardwood forests, piedmont, mountainous, and coastal regions. Though this species does prefer wooded habitat, especially woods undergoing the early successional stages of development, they can also be found in agricultural, open fields, and urban areas throughout the Carolinas. Like other canid predators, gray foxes forage on a variety of prey such as mice, rats, rabbits, birds and occasionally insects. Unlike most other canids who are carnivores, gray foxes are omnivores, eating a significant amount of wild fruit such as persimmons and grapes, as well as agricultural crops such as corn and peanuts. Gray foxes are primarily nocturnal creatures, but will occasionally forage during the daytime, especially in the long days of summer or extremely cold days of winter.     

Gray foxes usually mate within their first year of life. Males probably mate with only one female per year and may mate with the same female over consecutive years. Mating takes place once a year during January and February in the Carolinas. After a gestation period of about 53-59 days, three to five pups are born in March or April in a den that may be underground, a hollow log, or sometimes a tree stump. The pups' eyes open in 10-12 days and are weaned after 10 weeks. The male parent stays with the female and assists her in bringing food to the pups until early fall when the pups have reached adult size and begin to disperse from the birthing area. During the late fall and early winter, the pups become independent and begin to establish new home ranges.

Gray foxes are found in 45 of the 50 states and are only found in North America and Central America. This species does not occur in Canada. In the Carolinas, the gray fox inhabits all areas of the state from the barrier islands off the coast to the mountains of the western portion of the states. Over the past 50 years, gray fox populations have expanded into areas of the country where previously they did not occur. Biologists believe that fire suppression and increased agricultural production in the northern Great Plains areas has altered the habitat, thus enabling this fox to expand its range.

The home ranges of the gray fox vary among individuals and are dependent upon the time of year. Reported home ranges vary from 74 acres to over 6000 acres. The most important factors that determine the size of the gray fox home ranges are habitat quality, population density, and the reproductive status of individual foxes. Areas with many different habitat types and dense populations of prey species support higher densities of gray foxes with smaller home ranges since they are somewhat territorial. Gray foxes rarely venture out during daylight hours. Activity during daylight hours is usually associated with foxes that are infected with rabies or canine distemper virus.