The Gray Fox
As mentioned in the last post, the Red Fox and Gray Fox are distant cousins that have many large differences. Today I will be covering the Gray Fox which gets its name from its gray muzzle and back. Sticking with the color of the animal, the Gray Fox always has a black tip to the tail where as the Red Fox always has a white tail tip. Another color difference between the two foxes is their legs. The Red Fox front legs (stockings) are black. The front legs of the Gray fox are orangey brown, white and gray like the rest of their body.
The Gray Fox build is just slightly smaller than the Red Fox but would be hard to tell the difference unless the two foxes were side by side. The biggest difference in their bodies would be their toes and claws. They have strong hooked claws which allow them to climb trees. There is only one other canine in the world able to do that, and it is their cousin the Asian Raccoon Dog. Tree climbing is used as both an offensive and defensive maneuver. It allows them to flee from such nemesis as the Coyote when their paths cross. It also allows them to climb a persimmon tree for the fruit when ripe.
If you were to come upon a Gray Fox, the encounter would be a brief and fleeting glimpse as they are very timid to both humans and most other animals. On the other hand a Red Fox has become more accustomed to people and may have more curiosity at such an encounter. A Gray Fox encounter in the Eastern US has become more rare with deforestation resulting in loss of habitat and the decline in numbers. One of the largest strongholds in the East for the species is the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee.
(References: Wikipedia contributors. (2020, May 1). Gray fox. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19:33, May 6, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php…)
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