FOXES
The Fox is “wise” because the coyote taught it everything it knows!
The Red Fox
(Vulpes vulpes)
Description & Range:
The red fox is found in North America from the Arctic Circle to well into Central America. It has a slender body, long legs, a slim muzzle, upright triangular ears and a bushy tail, usually tipped in white. Gray foxes can also be found in Maryland, and they tend to have a black tipped tail. Gray foxes also tend to be smaller than red foxes.
Habitat:
Ideal red fox habitat includes a mix of open fields, small woodlots and wetlands – making modern-day Maryland an excellent place for it to live. Red foxes are also highly adaptive and can be found in suburban and urban areas. While native to Maryland, there are reports of early settlers bringing the red fox from Europe for release by landowners for hunting with hounds.
Diet:
Red foxes have an omnivorous diet, meaning that they eat both plants and animals. A typical red fox diet includes rabbits, snakes, insects, birds, mice, berries and fruits.
Reproduction:
The red fox usually uses a den or burrow only during the period when it is raising pups – a task the male and female fox share together. Red foxes mate from January through March. After a gestation period of 51 to 53 days, females give birth to a litter averaging 4 or 5 pups in the spring. Red foxes may dig their own burrows, but they usually improve an abandoned groundhog burrow. It also is common for foxes to den in the crawl space under decks and sheds. During the remainder of the year, the red fox avoids dens and sleeps in sheltered locations by relying on its thick fur for warmth.
Sounds
Foxes can be quite vocal, and they make barks, howls, and whines. The sounds vary from a short, sharp "yap" or bark, followed by a "yap, yap," to a combination of screeches, yells, and long howls.
Behavior
While its cousins the wolf and dog are social, the red fox tends to be more solitary except during the breeding season. The red fox is capable of learning from experience, which has earned it the “cunning” namesake in literature. This clever nature, its adaptability and careful management, ensure that the red fox will roam the Chesapeake Bay watershed for many generations to come.
There are two species of foxes that live in Maryland: the red fox, and the gray fox. Both resemble small dogs. The red fox is about 36 to 40 inches long and weighs 10 to 15 pounds. Gray Foxes weigh between 7 and 13 pounds. Their coloring is salt and pepper gray with rusty yellow feet. The tail is long and bushy with a black tip.
There are very few cases of rabies reported in the fox population in Maryland but foxes can be a threat to livestock and pets. They adapt well to most environments.
Gray Fox
(Urocyon cinereoargentius)
Description & Range:
Gray foxes are common animals that can be found throughout Maryland and much of the eastern and southern United States.
The gray fox is somewhat stout and has shorter legs than the red fox. Its coat is mostly grizzled-gray with some reddish fringes throughout its body. The cheeks, throat, inner ears and most of the underside are white. The upper part of the tail, including the tip, is black. The gray fox ranges from 30 to 44 inches in total length and can weigh from 8 to 15 pounds. Red foxes have a white tip on their tail.
Habitat:
Gray foxes typically live in dense forests with some edge habitat for hunting. Their home ranges typically are 2-4 miles. Gray foxes can also be found in suburban areas.
Diet:
Gray foxes are omnivorous, meaning that they can eat both plants and animals. Prey items frequently eaten by gray foxes include rabbits, mice, squirrels, rats and insects. Game birds are frequently eaten, including quail, turkeys and ruffed grouse. Gray foxes will also eat carrion and plants including fruits, nuts and berries.
Reproduction:
Foxes breed from January through March with the gray fox tending to breed 2 to 4 weeks later than the red fox. After an average gestation period of 53 days, the female fox gives birth to a litter averaging 4 or 5 pups. The gray fox usually does not use an underground den but, instead, dens in dense brush, cavities in stumps and trees, rock crevices or under out-buildings such as barns and sheds.
Sounds:
Gray foxes are less vocal than red foxes and will occasionally bark or yap.
Behavior:
Gray foxes tend to be active from the late evening hours until dawn (nocturnal). Because of this, they are seen much less than red foxes. They will readily climb trees, jumping from branch to branch while hunting or for protection. Red foxes cannot climb trees. Gray foxes are generally very territorial but have small home ranges.