Montshire Minute: Gray Fox

Originally aired during the week of February 22, 1999

Monday

The gray fox is one of the most widely distributed carnivores in the lower 48 states, but many people are not even aware it exists. Furtive but ingenious, the gray fox is surprisingly easy to trap, and it seems to lack the guile and slyness we associate with its cousin, the red fox. The gray exhibits other traits not in keeping with the public image of foxes. For one, it climbs trees easily, the only North American canine to do so. For another, it is surprisingly adept at living right under the nose of humans, without us ever suspecting their presence. The gray fox typically sticks to the rough, rocky terrain in the forest, staying away from the low meadow lands most often claimed by red foxes. We'll find out more about this lesser known cousin of the red fox on the Montshire minute this week.

Tuesday

The gray fox is often mistaken for its cousin the red fox, because like the reds, the grays may have some rust-colored fur along their flanks, necks and faces. The two species can be distinguished by their tails - the gray fox's tail is tipped with black, in contrast to the white-tipped tail of the red fox. Yesterday, we noted that the gray fox is one of the few canines that actually climbs trees. One naturalist tells the story of finding a gray fox den in a hollow tree trunk twelve feet above ground level. The animal climbs by shinnying up the trunk to a limb, then jumping up from branch to branch. The animals climb well because their toenails are longer, sharper, and more curved than the red fox. They won't hesitate to climb trees in pursuit of prey like birds or squirrels.

Wednesday

Gray foxes are seldom a major threat to native foul, although they will take a free-roaming chicken, duck or young turkey. They are not especially finicky eaters - rabbits are a favorite food, but they'll also feed off mice, ground squirrels, nesting birds, insects and frogs. Along the Pacific slopes, they have been known to eat almost a straight diet of manzanita berries in the fall, and will even eat the bitter juniper berry. One biologist in southern Utah found three inch-long green scorpions in the scat left behind by a gray fox. While the gray fox is considered a southern and western species, it's range has extended north thought much of New England. It was considered rare in Vermont until the early 1900's -- since then gray fox sightings have been recorded throughout the state.

Thursday

We've seen that the behavior of the gray fox is distinct from that of the red fox--that holds true for denning habits as well. While grays almost always make their dens above ground - in cavities, hollow logs, or rock crevices, red foxes usually choose to den below ground. They may dig their own den, although they are more likely to enlarge homes of smaller animals like woodchucks. Red fox dens can be quite elaborate, with tunnel systems up to 75-feet long, constructed four feet or more under the surface. The dens often have several entrances - usually one or two main entrances and two or three less conspicuous plunge holes for avoiding potential predators. Both species of fox will often maintain two dens, so if one residence is disturbed, the fox family can quickly relocate.

Friday

The breeding season for gray foxes can last from mid-January to May, although breeding activity is most likely to take place in early March. Prior to the birth, the male leaves the den while the female provides a soft, grass-lined maternity chamber in the den. Gray fox vixens usually give birth to three or four pups at a time. During the first weeks, the vixen cares for the pups alone, feeding them milk three times as rich as cows milk. Then the male returns, and takes responsibility for gathering food, which is first regurgitated for the pups and later simply given to them whole at the densite. By the way, the Montshire has a wide range of mounted animals native to New England, and you can see a well-preserved mount of a gray and a red fox at the Museum.