Gray fox. See what the "Grey Fox" is in other dictionaries

LIsitsa gray, Gray Fox. Latin name: Urocyon cinereoargenteus. The Latin generic name Urocyonis is based on the Greek words oura (tail) and kyon (dog). The specific name cinereoargenteusis is derived from the Greek words cinereus (ash) and argenteus (silver), indicating the dominant color of the fox. Other names: tree fox

It is found in most of the area North America from southern regions Canada to the Isthmus of Panama also in the north South America(Venezuela and Colombia). The gray fox has not been found in the Rocky Mountains in the far northwest of the United States. The gray fox disappeared from Canada in the late 17th century, but recently they have been found in southern Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec. In a number of places it disappeared after the acclimatization of the brown fox from Europe. Some researchers argue that the causal relationship between these events is doubtful. In their opinion, the decline in the number of the gray fox, and the spread of the brown fox, was the result of a change in the nature of human land use.

The gray fox is smaller than the brown fox and looks like a small dog with a fluffy tail. The gray fox has short, powerful legs, strong, hooked claws that make it easy to climb. tree trunks and branches. Compared to other canines, the gray fox has a rather variegated color, and its coat is rather short and coarse. The tail is triangular in cross section, not rounded. Skull length: from 9.5 to 12.8 cm. Dental formula, as in a brown fox, the number of teeth is 42.

Color: The back, sides and upper part of the long, fluffy tail are gray or dark gray with silver speckles. The muzzle is also grey. Bottom part neck, chest, abdomen, as well as the anterior and inner side legs are distinguished by a whitish-gray color. The tip of the tail is black. Slightly noticeable black stripes appear on the back (sometimes they are clearly visible). The crown, lateral part of the neck, the edges of the abdomen and the outer sides of the legs are painted in reddish-gray tones, and sometimes they have a bright reddish-orange color. Because of this coloration, the gray fox is sometimes erroneously identified as brown fox, which can always be distinguished by its black legs and white tip of the tail. Foxes are almost black.

Body length - 48-69 cm; head length - 9.5-12.8 cm; tail length - 25-40 cm; height at the withers - about 30 cm.

Weight: The weight of the gray fox ranges from 2.5 to 7 kg, but most often it is 3.5-6 kg. Females are always slightly lighter than males.

Lifespan: Gray foxes live for 6 years in the wild, maximum lifespan in captivity: 15 years.

Voice: Similar to other canines, foxes communicate with each other and use sounds. These vocalizations include aggressive yelps, resonant howls, soft whimpers, and specific screams. Among the sounds made by a gray fox at the sight of a person, the most characteristic is a sharp bark.

Habitat: Most often, the gray fox can be found in bushes, on forest edges, in mountain copses. In general, she prefers wooded area, although it is found in cultivated fields and in the vicinity of cities. Of the tree plantations, pine trees are the most preferred. pine groves gray fox prefers deciduous throughout the range, it is here that she mainly locates her lair. At the same time, for hunting and feeding, she often chooses deciduous tree and shrub plantations, in which small mammals are more numerous.

Foxes especially suffer from hunters, in particular during the hunting of wild turkeys. Special studies of the causes of mortality have shown that a person is guilty of mortality in 33% of individuals, 22% die from natural factors, 44% from unknown factors.

gray fox it is omnivorous and its diet is very diverse and depends on the season and habitat and includes: small vertebrates, especially rabbits, rodents, birds and eggs, insects. Sometimes she has to eat only plant foods (fruits, fruits, nuts, grains, etc.), the fox does not refuse carrion either. Thanks to her ability to climb trees, one can also find purely arboreal creatures in her diet, such as squirrels - in some places playing important role in the diet of the gray fox, which is not the case with other wild dogs.

Gray foxes love to climb trees, which is why they are often referred to as "tree foxes". At the first danger, they often climb low or half-fallen, tilted trees. This ability likely allowed the gray fox to coexist with coyotes, while the brown fox population declined significantly with the increase in the coyote population.

How do gray foxes climb trees? Lightly grasping the trunk of a tree with its front paws, it pushes its body up with its hind legs, which, thanks to long and strong claws, firmly hold it on the trunk. In addition, the fox is able to jump onto the branching branches of a tree, using this ability to attack prey from above from an ambush. On the ground, when chasing prey or hiding from the enemy, the fox can reach speeds of up to 17 km / h, but only at relatively short distances.

It hunts mainly at night and twilight, and all day they lie down in a secluded place, sleep and rest. Animals are usually tied to the same place, so the way of life is sedentary, they have never been seen migrating. Burrows rarely dig on their own, but more often they occupy strangers, sometimes hollow trees are chosen as their own home, they can settle in crevices of rocks, voids under stones and trunks, even in abandoned buildings. In east Texas, a hollow was found used by a fox to rest about 10m above the ground in a large hollow oak tree. In central Texas, a den was found in a hollow living oak tree with an entrance 1m above the ground. An unusual lair was found under a pile of wood into which the fox had "tunneled."

Foxes need clean water for drinking, so they regularly visit the reservoir. In this regard, they locate their lairs near the source drinking water, where, over time, a well-marked path is trampled.

social structure: They live in pairs, occupying a certain family territory. In the summer, while the cubs are growing up, gray foxes roam in family flocks, which break up by autumn. The area of the family plot varies from 3 to 27.6 km2, and in different family groups they usually partially overlap. Outside of the breeding season, the individual areas of males practically do not overlap, while the areas of males and females can overlap by 25-30%. The size of such an overlap depends both on the forage of the plots and on the season of the year. Being rather silent territories, gray foxes mark their territorial boundaries with the help of heaps of droppings and urine, which are left on the most visible landmarks such as tufts of grass and protruding structures: earthen hummocks, stumps, individual stones, etc. These scent marks are regularly updated, but especially in places frequented by animals. A specific smell is provided by a secret that produces a pair of violet glands located on both sides of the anus. Both males and females seem to raise their legs when marking their territory with urine. A pungent smell, very similar to that of skunks, is easily detected even by humans in places where gray foxes often mark "border posts".

Reproduction: During the breeding season, numerous rather fierce fights occur between males, after which the male winner remains with the female and forms a pair. After the appearance of offspring, males take an active part in the extraction of food for puppies and the protection of the boundaries of the family plot from the penetration of other foxes here.

Season/Breeding Period: Rutting and mating times vary by latitude and are observed from December to April.

Puberty: Males reach sexual maturity at 10 months; females give birth at one year of age.

Pregnancy: Pregnancy lasts 51-63 days, with an average of 53 days.

Offspring: In a den carefully lined with dry grass, foliage or crushed tree bark, from 2 to 7 (average 3.8) black-brown, blind and helpless puppies are born. In puppies weighing about 100 g, the eyes are closed and they open only on the 10-14th day. Lactation: 7-9 weeks, and they begin to consume solid food from 5-6 weeks. If possible, as soon as the puppies have grown a little, the foxes try to change the old den to a new one because of the mass reproduction of fleas in them, which greatly pester both adults and puppies.

At the age of four months, puppies begin to accompany adults on hunting trips.

Young puppies are in their first year and have been known to travel up to 84 km. Puppies are weaned at or around 6 weeks old. Gradually the pups learn to reclaim for themselves, at first leaving the den area to hunt with their parents when they are about 3 months old.

The fur of the gray fox is of rather low quality, so the gray fox does not represent special interest as an object of industrial hunting, but only as a sport. In the state of Texas, the gray fox is among the most important fur animals. The gray fox is abundant in desert areas - it often helps farmers in the fight against harmful rodents. When the gray fox itself becomes a pest, eating chickens and destroying crops, farmers shoot them or catch them with all kinds of traps.

Widespread species, no threat of destruction.

Fox gray or tree fox - a representative of wolves, more common in North America and in the northern part of South America. Disappeared from Canada, appeared in Southern Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec.

Appearance of the gray fox

The gray fox looks like a small dog with a beautiful fluffy tail. It is much smaller than brown foxes.

Appearance like common fox, only with a shorter muzzle and ears. On short powerful legs, tenacious nails are located that allow you to climb trees and branches well. Has a non-uniform coat color. The muzzle, back, sides and long fluffy tail are painted with gray or silvery light. Red light is spilled over the neck, sides of the head and torso. Below there is a white light, the tip of the tail is painted black. The coat is short and coarse and covers the entire body of the fox. The tail of the fox is an unusual triangular shape.

Sixty-nine centimeters body length. Nine and a half centimeters head.
Weighing from two and a half to seven kg. The tail reaches forty centimeters.
Lives in nature for about six years, in zoos up to fifteen.

Gray fox habitat

The animal fell in love with forest thickets; it can also be found at the edge of the forest, small copses. Likes to approach crop fields, sometimes found in the vicinity of villages and cities. She considers pine groves her home, she makes a lair in them. But it hunts in deciduous woody shrubs, there are more small mammals for feed. Foxes live in burrows, but rarely dig themselves, usually find secluded places, sometimes use tree hollows, settled between stones, other people's burrows.

live settled way life. Animals love to drink clean water, so they choose habitats closer to the water. Trampled fox trails can be seen near the water.
When foxes see people, they bark, and in the forest they make other sounds similar to howling and whimpering.

Gray fox behavior

Because foxes like to climb trees, they are called tree foxes. When an unfamiliar or dangerous object approaches, with a quick jump and tenacious claws they cling to a hill, to fallen and small trees, stumps located higher. Clinging with hooked claws, they can jump to another tree. The fox is kept on the tree with strong powerful legs and strong claws, it can jump from the tree for prey.

In pursuit of prey or hiding from the enemy, runs at speeds up to seventeen kilometers, in short intervals. The tree serves as a shelter from the enemy, here she rests, but she breeds offspring in holes.

Foxes live in pairs, each family has its own border of the earth. They mark with their urine and droppings territorial spaces. All summer they roam in family flocks until the offspring grow up. Growing foxes leave their mothers for long distances, and in the future they look for mates. Area boundaries couples reach large areas up to 27 square meters. The outskirts of neighboring territories often intersect.

Reproduction of gray foxes

Depending on where they live, they breed from December to April. At this time, the males fight among themselves for the female, the winner forms a pair with her. When the babies appear, the males take care and get food for the little foxes and defend their territory.

Before childbirth, the lair is covered with dried leaves, grass, or small tree bark. The fox brings from two to seven babies. They are born blind, helpless, weighing one hundred grams no more. They open their eyes on the tenth, fourteenth day. They suckle their mother for seven, nine weeks, then they switch to solid food. There are a lot of fleas in the den, they seize the whole family. As soon as the puppies grow up a little and can move independently, the fox moves to another place. Upon reaching three months take away from breast milk. From the age of three months, babies are taught to hunt small animals.

Gray fox food

The main diet of the tree fox consists of plant foods. Among all wolves, this variety is most prone to plant foods. It feeds on insects, mice, ground squirrels, hares, birds and their eggs, carrion. It feeds on fruits, bulbs and grains. A squirrel can be caught on a tree and eaten.

Representatives of the danger of the gray fox

A great danger to the gray fox is the hawk, golden eagle, large owls. They attack from above, the fox cannot cope with them. Red lynxes and dogs prey on small foxes.

The fur of the gray fox is not valued. Therefore, a person does not hunt a gray fox. The state of Texas is overrun with gray foxes. Animals love to catch mice in the farmers' fields, this helps in the fight against rodents. But often foxes become pests of farms, then they are caught with traps and shot.

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Name: Gray fox, tree fox, lat. Urocyon cinereoargenteus.

Appearance

The gray fox differs from the ordinary one in its denser physique, short legs and smaller stature. Her tail looks more fluffy and longer. However, due to the sparse undercoat, it does not tolerate cold as well. The gray fox also has a shorter muzzle and ears. The upper part of the body, head and tail are gray, with a black tint, thickening on the ridge and tail into a black belt. The sides and neck are reddish-brown, and there are white spots around the nose.

Another distinctive feature is another black line that crosses the face from the nose to the eyes, then "leaving" on the sides of the head back. The height at the withers is 30-40 cm. The gray fox is very agile and dexterous, for its family, it runs fast, and also knows how to climb trees (it was also called the tree fox).

It is noteworthy that gray foxes have an unusual coloring of the tip of the tail - it is black.

Behavior

Gray foxes feed on all kinds of small animals, birds, insects, sometimes they drag chickens. More than other types of foxes, they have a penchant for plant foods, so that sometimes the fruits and green parts of plants even predominate in their diet. After 63 days of pregnancy, the female brings in the spring up to 7 puppies covered with black fur. After a month and a half, they begin to eat ordinary food, and in late summer or early autumn they begin to live independently, while the parents continue to live together.

Gray foxes only live where there are trees. They are the only representatives of the wolf family who can climb trees well, which is why they are often called tree foxes. . This ability likely allowed the gray fox to coexist with coyotes, while the brown fox population declined significantly with the increase in the coyote population.

However, the main shelters for gray foxes are burrows, crevices among stones and rocks, caves, hollows in fallen trees.

It hunts mainly at night and twilight, and rests in a secluded place all day, sleeps and rests. Animals are usually attached to the same place, so the way of life is sedentary, they have never been seen migrating. Burrows rarely dig on their own, but more often they occupy strangers, sometimes hollow trees are chosen as their own home, they can settle in crevices of rocks, voids under stones and trunks, even in abandoned buildings.

Gray foxes need clean water to drink, so they visit the pond regularly. In this regard, they locate their lairs near the source of drinking water, where, over time, a well-marked path is trodden.

Gray foxes are monogamous and live with a partner for the rest of their lives. After mating, in February, the mother can give birth to 4 to 10 cubs, which, after 11 months of age, already leave their parents. Perhaps it is precisely because of this ability to be fertile that this species did not end up on the verge of death. The annual extermination of the gray fox, for example, in Wisconsin, because of its soft fur, reduced the population of the species by up to half.

Reproduction: During the breeding season, numerous violent fights occur between males, after which the victorious male remains with the female and forms a pair. After the appearance of offspring, males take an active part in the extraction of food for puppies and the protection of the boundaries of the family plot from the penetration of other foxes here.

Habitat

There is a gray fox in most of North America from the southern regions of Canada to the Isthmus of Panama, also in the north of South America (Venezuela and Colombia). The gray fox has not been found in the Rocky Mountains in the far northwest of the United States. The gray fox disappeared from Canada in the late 17th century, but recently they have been found in southern Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec. In a number of places, it disappeared after the acclimatization of the brown fox from Europe there.

Most often, a gray fox can be found in bushes, on forest edges, in mountain copses.

Gray fox subspecies

Urocyon cinereoargenteus borealis

Urocyon cinereoargenteus californicus

Urocyon cinereoargenteus colimensis

Urocyon cinereoargenteus costaricensis

Urocyon cinereoargenteus floridanus

Urocyon cinereoargenteus fraterculus

Urocyon cinereoargenteus furvus

Urocyon cinereoargenteus guatemalae

Urocyon cinereoargenteus madrensis

Urocyon cinereoargenteus nigrirostris

Urocyon cinereoargenteus ocythous

Urocyon cinereoargenteus orinomus

Urocyon cinereoargenteus peninsularis

Urocyon cinereoargenteus scotti

Urocyon cinereoargenteus townsendi

Urocyon cinereoargenteus venezuelae

Description

Small gray fox. Around the dark brown nose, the hair is “colored” with a white spot, the main color is red-brown, the sides, neck and paws of the gray fox are covered with hair of this color. The abdomen is covered with white fur. A black line is also characteristic, stretching from the base of the tail to its tip. Another distinctive feature is another black line that crosses the face from the nose to the eyes, then "leaving" on the sides of the head back. The height at the withers is 30-40 cm. The gray fox is very agile and dexterous, for his family, he runs fast, and also knows how to climb trees (she was also called tree fox).

A gray fox of a dense build, with shorter paws compared to a red fox, so she is smaller, but her long fluffy tail looks more luxurious than that of her rival, but her undercoat does not save so well from the cold than that of red fox. Therefore, the gray fox cannot live in a particularly cold climate.

Reproduction and population

Gray foxes are monogamous and live with a partner for the rest of their lives. After mating, in February, the mother can give birth to 4 to 10 cubs, which leave their parents for 11 months. Perhaps it is precisely because of this ability to be fertile that this species did not end up on the verge of death. The annual extermination of the gray fox, for example, in Wisconsin, because of its soft fur, reduced the population of the species by up to half.

Subspecies

Urocyon cinereoargenteus borealis
Urocyon cinereoargenteus californicus
Urocyon cinereoargenteus colimensis
Urocyon cinereoargenteus costaricensis
Urocyon cinereoargenteus floridanus
Urocyon cinereoargenteus fraterculus
Urocyon cinereoargenteus furvus
Urocyon cinereoargenteus guatemalae
Urocyon cinereoargenteus madrensis
Urocyon cinereoargenteus nigrirostris
Urocyon cinereoargenteus ocythous
Urocyon cinereoargenteus orinomus
Urocyon cinereoargenteus peninsularis
Urocyon cinereoargenteus scotti
Urocyon cinereoargenteus townsendi
Urocyon cinereoargenteus venezuelae

Gallery

Keulemans gray fox.png

U. cinereoargenteus, drawing by J. G. Kjolemans, 1890

NIE 1905 Fox.jpg

Drawing of six species of the canine family, gray fox at the bottom, left

Urocyon cinereeoargenteus.jpg

U. cinereoargenteus, New Mexico

Urocyon cinereoargenteus in brushwood.jpg

U. cinereoargenteus, Minnesota

GrayFoxApr04NFla.jpg

U. cinereoargenteus, north Florida

Urocyon cinereoargenteus grayFox fullFace.jpg

U. cinereoargenteus at an altitude of 2.1 thousand meters in California

Red Fox vs Gray Fox - San Joaquin National Wildlife Refuge.jpg

Red fox meeting Vulpes vulpes) with gray ( Urocyon cinereoargenteus)

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Notes

An excerpt characterizing the Gray Fox

The so-called guerrilla war began with the entry of the enemy into Smolensk.
Before the guerrilla war was officially accepted by our government, already thousands of people of the enemy army - backward marauders, foragers - were exterminated by the Cossacks and peasants, who beat these people as unconsciously as dogs unconsciously bite a runaway rabid dog. Denis Davydov, with his Russian intuition, was the first to understand the significance of that terrible club, which, without asking the rules of military art, destroyed the French, and he owns the glory of the first step in legitimizing this method of war.
On August 24, the first partisan detachment of Davydov was established, and after his detachment others began to be established. The further the campaign progressed, the more the number of these detachments increased.
The partisans destroyed Grand Army in parts. They picked up those falling leaves that fell of themselves from a withered tree - the French army, and sometimes shook this tree. In October, while the French fled to Smolensk, there were hundreds of these parties of various sizes and characters. There were parties that adopted all the methods of the army, with infantry, artillery, headquarters, with the comforts of life; there were only Cossack, cavalry; there were small, prefabricated, foot and horse, there were peasants and landlords, unknown to anyone. There was a deacon head of the party, who took several hundred prisoners a month. There was an elder, Vasilisa, who beat hundreds of Frenchmen.
The last days of October was the time of the peak guerrilla war. That first period of this war, during which the partisans, themselves surprised at their audacity, were afraid at any moment to be caught and surrounded by the French and, without unsaddling and almost dismounting their horses, hid through the forests, waiting for every minute of the chase, has already passed. Now this war had already taken shape, it became clear to everyone what could be done with the French and what could not be done. Now only those commanders of the detachments, who, according to the rules, went away from the French with headquarters, still considered many things impossible. The small partisans, who had long ago begun their work and were closely looking out for the French, considered possible what the leaders of large detachments did not even dare to think about. The Cossacks and the peasants, who climbed between the French, believed that now everything was possible.
On October 22, Denisov, who was one of the partisans, was with his party in the midst of partisan passion. In the morning he and his party were on the move. He spent the whole day through the forests adjacent to high road, followed a large French transport of cavalry items and Russian prisoners, separated from other troops and under strong cover, as it was known from scouts and prisoners, heading for Smolensk. This transport was known not only to Denisov and Dolokhov (also a partisan with a small party), who walked close to Denisov, but also to the heads of large detachments with headquarters: everyone knew about this transport and, as Denisov said, they sharpened their teeth on it. Two of these great detachment commanders - one Pole, the other German - almost at the same time sent an invitation to Denisov to join his detachment in order to attack the transport.

Description

A gray fox of a dense build, with shorter paws compared to a red fox, so she is smaller, but her long fluffy tail looks more luxurious than that of her rival, but her undercoat does not save so well from the cold than at the red fox. Therefore, the gray fox cannot live in a particularly cold climate.

Reproduction and population

Subspecies

Urocyon cinereoargenteus borealis
Urocyon cinereoargenteus californicus
Urocyon cinereoargenteus colimensis
Urocyon cinereoargenteus costaricensis
Urocyon cinereoargenteus floridanus
Urocyon cinereoargenteus fraterculus
Urocyon cinereoargenteus furvus
Urocyon cinereoargenteus guatemalae
Urocyon cinereoargenteus madrensis
Urocyon cinereoargenteus nigrirostris
Urocyon cinereoargenteus ocythous
Urocyon cinereoargenteus orinomus
Urocyon cinereoargenteus peninsularis
Urocyon cinereoargenteus scotti
Urocyon cinereoargenteus townsendi
Urocyon cinereoargenteus venezuelae

Notes

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Wu-hou (Wei kingdom, Zhangguo era)
oh ban

See what the "Grey Fox" is in other dictionaries:

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Books

Gray neck, Dmitry Mamin-Sibiryak. A small defenseless duck named Gray Sheika was injured by a fox, and she could not fly away with the others when autumn came. About her friendship with a hare and a capercaillie, about their struggle with a fox, about her ...