The wily fox

Did you know? There are five species of fox found in North America: The red fox, swift fox, kit fox, island fox and gray fox. The female fox is called a vixen and the male a reynard. Young foxes are called kits, cubs and pups, and a group of foxes is called a skulk.

Characteristics

The gray fox is a medium-sized nocturnal member of the canid family, weighing 7 to 10 pounds. This fox is the only member of the dog family that can climb trees, usually for safety or to seek prey in the branches. They can accomplish this because the tips of their claws are hooked for gripping, although their claws are not retractable like those of a tree-climbing cat. These foxes are sleek and agile and can run at speeds of up to 30 mph for short distances. The gray fox is quite a bit smaller than the coyote with different coloration. Its coat is gray on top, with a white throat and chest extending down, a rust-red collar and legs, and a black-tipped tail. Males and females share the same coloration but the males are onethird larger in size than the females.

Photo courtesy of TERRY MATKINS Fern the grey fox Behavior: The gray fox uses several vocalizations to communicate, including yaps, howls, barks, soft whispers and screams. They breed in February, selecting a mate for life, and can be seen in pairs as well as alone. Although they do not form packs, the young will stay with their mother for four months, so these foxes can be seen in groups. Adult females give birth to up to eight kits, born black with their eyes closed. The male participates in raising the young, helping with the hunting responsibilities.

Diet and hunting techniques

The gray fox hunts in a straight line and uses a "mouse pounce," jumping up to 3 feet above ground and diving, front paws first, onto its prey. This stuns the prey or effectively flushes it from cover into the open. Their diet consists of rabbits, rodents, birds, eggs, insects, fruit and vegetable matter.

Gray fox versus red fox

The red fox is the larger of the two species, weighing up to 15 pounds. The tail is a foot and a half in length. Red foxes come in a variety of colors—silver, black, brown and red—but all have a white tip on the end of their tails. All gray foxes are primarily gray and have a blacktipped tail. Both species dig their own dens or will occupy the empty dens of other burrowing animals, like badgers. The gray fox is native to North America, while the red fox originated in Europe and was introduced when the earliest settlers moved to this country.

Fern was orphaned at about 5 weeks of age, when she was found following a man in the early morning hours as he walked to work along a construction site. It was thought that she may have strayed away from her family to follow behind human footsteps. When her rescuer couldn't find her family, he brought her to the Nature of Wildworks care center in Topanga, where she discovered a surrogate caretaker, a young border collie, Macfly. Fern is now full grown and is a beautiful and healthy individual and a valuable educator in our wildlife outreach programs.

Mollie Hogan is the founder of The Nature of Wildworks, a nonprofit organization that provides lifetime care for abandoned, orphaned and nonreleasable animals. For more information, visit www.natureofwildworks.org or call (310) 455-0550.