Gray Fox

About

Gray Foxes are mammals that are mostly seen in the evening or at night. They are a member of the family Canidae which includes dog-like carnivores. They are one of the two species to live in the Sonoran Desert. The other fox is the Kit Fox, which is the smallest of the North American foxes. The Gray Fox makes its dens both on the ground and in trees, some as high as 30 feet up!

Adaptations

The Gray Fox is silvery-gray on their backs, and reddish-brown on the side, chest and ears. Their color helps them blend into their surroundings, to hide from both predators and prey. They have long, bushy tails with a big black stripe on top; big, pointed ears; and a pointed muzzle. Those big ears and nose are great for listening and smelling their environment.

This species weighs about 4-5 pounds (about as much as a Pomeranian dog!) and stands at 12-17 inches at the shoulder (about the same height as an English bulldog!).

Gray Foxes are one of the few species of canid that can climb trees. They do this to hunt for food and escape predators. Sometimes they even make their dens in the trees — though when they have young, they prefer to sleep underground.

Food Web

Their predators include humans, coyotes, bobcats and large raptors. Their prey is mainly small mammals like rodents and rabbits. They also eat birds, amphibians, reptiles, arthropods, carrion and various fruits and vegetables. They are omnivores, meaning they eat meat and plants!

Habitat and Range

Gray Foxes live in a wide variety of places. They prefer to live in places they can blend in, like canyons and ridges. Though they will also live in wooded areas, open desert and grasslands. They can be found from Quebec to Northern Columbia and Venezuela.

Family Life

The Gray Fox is thought to live with a family for a short period of time. A female fox can have between 3-7 pups at a time. Pups leave the den by the time they are 4 months old, then go find their own territory and fend for themselves. They typically live 6-10 years!

Glossary

Mammals

A warm blooded animal, that has hair or fur, gives birth to live young, and females make milk for young.

Nocturnal

Comes out at night.

Predator

An animal that hunts or eats other animals.

Prey

An animal that is hunted or eaten by other animals.

Camouflage

The ability to hide or blend into the surroundings.

Fun Facts

Sometimes if a fox has too much food, it will hide the food and store it so it can eat it later. It marks the spot by peeing on it!

Conservation

As of 2023, this is an animal of least concern.

At The Museum

See the Gray Fox at Cat Canyon.