Wood fox. Types of foxes (foxes). Bengal fox or Indian

The gray fox is a native inhabitant of the American continent. These animals live in the USA, South America, Mexico, Colombia and northern Venezuela.

Gray foxes are similar in appearance to red foxes, but the former have shorter limbs and a bushier tail.

Gray foxes climb trees perfectly; according to this indicator, these representatives of the canine family are not inferior to cats. Such abilities among the closest relatives are observed only in the raccoon, while the rest of the canines do not climb trees.

Gray foxes often climb into the lush crowns of trees located at a great height from the ground. These animals love to rest on thick branches and in the crowns of trees. But in any case, they give preference to the earth's surface, it is on the ground that gray foxes spend most of their time.

Fox appearance

Representatives of the species grow at the withers up to 30-40 centimeters, while the body length varies within 80 centimeters. Gray foxes weigh from 4 to 7 kilograms. The length of the tail reaches 45 centimeters.

The legs are light brown, they are much darker than the rest of the body. The sides, back of the neck and back are dark gray in color. A narrow black band runs along the upper part of the dark gray tail. The tip of the tail is also black. This is the main difference between a gray fox and a red fox, in which the tip of the tail is white.

The chest and belly of the representatives of the species are white. The neck, underside of the tail and a narrow stripe on the underbelly are rusty brown. The underside of the muzzle is white. Also, white fur frames the black tip of the nose.

The muzzle has a shortened shape. Ears are small. Such small size and camouflage color help the predator during the hunt.

reproduction

Gray foxes are monogamous, they form pairs for life. The gestation period is 2 months. The female gives birth to 1 to 7 foxes. Babies mature quickly and at the age of 4 months they are already capable of independent hunting. By 11 months of life, red foxes reach puberty, at this age the young leave their parents. Young individuals seek mates, form families and begin to lead an adult life.

The gray fox is a monogamous animal, and a couple, formed once, stays together all their lives,

The fur of gray foxes is very soft. It was because of the fur that these animals were always shot mercilessly. Only due to the high fertility of these animals were not completely destroyed.

In addition, gray foxes are easier to survive than other canids because they are omnivores. These animals eat rodents, birds, bird eggs and various vegetation. Red foxes love a variety of herbs and especially wild fruits.

population

Today, the number of gray foxes is kept at a stable level. Despite the fact that American farmers often shoot these animals to protect their chickens and ducks, their numbers are quickly restored by the younger generation. In addition, these animals are cunning and very cautious, so they do not often catch the eye of people. From this we can safely conclude that in the near future the destruction of the population does not threaten.

The fox is a smart and very attractive animal that you certainly want to admire, often they become cunning heroes of fairy tales, folklore, and in life they are simple lovers of their natural habitat. At the word "fox" associations immediately arise: red, fluffy, but this opinion is rather primitive. In the wild, there are the most diverse and charming breeds of foxes that you need to learn to look at as a particle of everything living and necessary on our planet, and not regard them as a commodity in the form of fur coats, collars and other products. The fox is the generalized name of some mammals, they belong to the canine family, only 11 species belong to the fox family. Famous and popular species include the following breeds: sivodushki, platinum, pearl, snow and others:

The polar fox lives in the Arctic Circle, where it is very cold, but its short muzzle and paws help to keep warm longer, and thick, luxurious wool serves as a reliable garment and protects from severe frosts.

Arctic fox or polar fox

The gray fox is common in America, its feature is that it can climb trees.

Marble fox - a kind of red fox, found in the Arctic, has an unusually beautiful color, artificially bred.

The red fox is not uncommon, lives in many countries, it is endowed with graceful dexterity, which helps to cope with even the most difficult obstacles.

The red fox changes color depending on the habitat, its color can be: red, fiery, scarlet, yellow, gray and gray-red. Their chest is white, sandy or with a black spot, paws are black, tail is white or gray. Characterized by white hairs all over the body.

Red fox

Both people and animals have albinos, this type includes a white fox, but her eyes are pale blue with a red tint.

The ermine fox is white with black ears and dark body hairs; are not used for industrial purposes.

Black-brown (Alaskan) / silver-black - got their names because of the prevailing color scheme, in the second variety of foxes, the feature lies in silver hairs, which cannot be only on the stomach. Babies are born without silveriness, it begins to appear only from three months. In some black-browns, red spots can be found behind the ears, on the tail, sides, and behind the shoulder blades.

Korsak is very similar to the red fox, but inferior to it in size. Color: light gray or reddish gray (sometimes found with elements of red). The ears are large, the paws are long, the muzzle is short, pointed, the teeth are small; they bark, come into conflict with other foxes, climb trees, sometimes unite in colonies, hunt at night. Diet: hamsters, ground squirrels, mice, birds, carrion, vitamins are obtained from vegetables, fruits, herbs. Korsaki create couples for life. A maximum female can give birth to six cubs, they feed on mother's milk for two months. Life expectancy - 9 years. Korsak is listed in the Red Book, he has a lot of enemies among animals, people also hunt him, although he runs fast, but he gets tired at the same speed. Corsac fur is not very beautiful, but warm and highly valued.

The silver fox is listed in the Red Book, it is covered with thick hair. Color: gray, ashen, black, black-brown. The density and color of the fur depends on the diet and habitat. The silver fox lives in burrows, which she equips herself, leaves her dwelling extremely rarely, in order to get food. Due to their small size, beauties feed on small rodents, birds, but never attack strong predators, rarely attack first; can chase prey for hours, has very sharp fangs. The main advantages: a sensitive sense of smell and hearing, speed of reaction. The silver fox is unusually smart, it can confuse and confuse its pursuers, it is extremely difficult to catch it. The silver fox can live at home, but must be provided with all the necessary vaccinations, examination by a veterinarian, the enclosure must be high and very spacious, but it is worth remembering that it can get out and run away; Regular cleaning and cleanliness is the key to the health and well-being of the pet. She is very active, you need to play with her, like with a dog, buy toys, and if the fox is very small (he is teething), he needs bones that he can chew. He needs to be walked and spent a lot of time with him, so he will quickly adapt and get used to it, accepts almost any diet.

fox as a pet

Exotic animals at home no longer surprise anyone, but relatively recently, domesticated foxes are in great demand and popularity. There are nurseries where you can buy yourself a similar friendly animal, and with it instructions on proper care, nutrition, and care. The experiment of academician Belyaev was crowned with success and in the modern world there are genetically bred active, playful, friendly species that become real friends of man. A very small number of people have the experience of keeping foxes at home, you need to treat it very carefully and carefully.

The animal is unique in nature, because it belongs to the canine family, and in terms of behavior it is more like a cat, it does not belong to a flock, although it is kind and sweet, it is endowed with specific character traits, therefore, to cope with it, to train and educate is not a task for everyone under strength, you need to have great endurance and patience. The breeds of domestic foxes are diverse, if we consider the fennec fox as an example, then it is small, fragile, the length of its tail is equal to the size of the entire body, the weight is only up to two kilograms.

It is better not to have a fox, if there are other animals, he is very emotional and jealous, quickly becomes attached to the owners; also, fennecs can react aggressively to the behavior of children. Fenech has a long tail, huge ears, which serve not only for sensitive hearing, but also as cooling, this species has a special property: the fur is arranged in such a way that it helps to easily endure the heat and at the same time keep warm when it is cold. The smallest representative of canines. Color can be: red, yellow, brown.

Fenechs are known as predators that hunt at night; thermophilic; in domesticated conditions, it is not obedient, capricious, but its appearance is so captivating that it immediately becomes a universal favorite. The fur of foxes needs to be combed out; it is better to close doors and windows, remove fragile items, when the animal is alone at home - lock it in a cage, which must be large and comfortable.

red fox

The wild red, or red, fox is characterized by a red color of various shades, ranging from fiery red to almost gray. There are six main types of red fox coloration:
1) moth- reddish-red (fiery);
2) red- bright red, but without a fiery shade;
3) scarlet- light red or reddish yellow;
4) light- light sand-yellow color;
5) red-grey- gray, with a reddish belt along the spine;
6) gray- gray, with a dull reddish back.

Variation in the color of wild foxes is largely related to their habitat. The chest of red foxes is white or light yellow, the abdomen is white or red (like the sides) or with a black spot on a red background. The ears and ends of the paws (up to the carpal joint on the front and up to the hock on the hind legs) are black. The end of the tail is usually white or gray due to gray underfur or separate
ny pigmented hair. Separate black hairs are scattered along the tail, and often throughout the body. The underfur on the whole body is gray or brown in different shades.

Most red foxes are characterized by the presence of zone-colored hair (agouti) located on the back and sides. Only among moths are often found specimens in which zonal hair is absent. Often, red foxes have gray hair - pure white hair scattered all over the body, and white spots on the chest, stomach and paws. The white spot is characterized by white coloration in its area not only of the awn, but also of the underfur.

In its biology, as well as in breeding technology, the red fox practically does not differ from the silver-black fox. There is only a slight delay (2-3 weeks) during the period of active mating of females and worse maternal qualities, which determines a decrease in the yield of pups compared to the silver-black fox.

By selection, this disadvantage can be eliminated. The main task in breeding work with the red fox is to improve the color of their pubescence. The color characteristic of the Kamchatka fox (moth) and bastard is considered the most desirable. The presence of significant silveriness, which is determined by a light ring on the outer hair, located between the tops of the underfur and the pigmented tip of the awn, is undesirable.

white fox

Foxes, like other animals, have albinos. They have a pure white pubescence, depigmented tip of the nose and claws, light blue eyes with a reddish tinge. Their coloration is recessive in relation to the color of wild foxes.

Ermine fox

In the wild, there are white foxes with black ears, paws and individual black hair scattered over the body and tail. The underfur is grey. When examining such foxes, one gets the impression that they lack yellow pigment, and black is preserved where it is also present in wild red foxes. But in some cases, the development of black pigment is weakened. These foxes do not represent industrial value, and they are not bred on fur farms.

Chromists

Among wild foxes, specimens are relatively common that lack black pigment, as a result of which their underfur is brown, often lighter than usual, paws and ears are also brown, black hair on the tail and back is absent. Otherwise, these foxes do not differ in coloration from normal red foxes. The heredity of chromists has not been studied, economic
they are of no value.

Silver-black and black-brown

The most widespread on fur farms were changes in the color of the fur, which caused the appearance of a black color. In foxes, two such breeds are known, which determine the color of silver-black and black-brown foxes. The first arose among wild foxes in Canada, the second - among the foxes of Eurasia and Alaska. Therefore, in foreign literature, black-brown foxes are often called Alaskan silver-black.

In appearance, silver-black and black-brown foxes can differ only in that in black-brown foxes, the tuft of hair located at the inner edge of the base of the auricle is brown in color. In some black-brown foxes, a significant development of red (of different tone and intensity) spots is sometimes observed behind the ears, on the sides, behind the shoulder blades and at the root of the tail.

Guard hairs with a white zone in their middle part are called silvery. The peculiarity of the silver foxes is that it can be spread over the entire back, on the sides (there is no silver hair on the abdomen) and on the neck, or it can capture only part of the body. Depending on the area of ​​the body occupied by silvery hair, the percentage of silveriness is determined: silverness located from the root of the tail to the ears is taken as 100%; for 75% - from the root of the tail to the shoulder blades; for 50% - from the root of the tail to half of the body. The body area occupied by silveriness can be any (10%, 30%, 80%), but always starts at the root of the tail.

In the same foxes, the percentage of silveriness can vary in different years.

In puppies in the first two weeks, silver is absent. It gradually begins to appear in two-, three-month-old young animals, first on the rump, and then gradually spreads to the head. Silver reaches its full development after the change of summer awn to winter.

The base color of black-brown and silver-black foxes can vary from dark brown (an undesirable type for breeding) to blue-black, which is highly valued.

Hair in which only the top is dyed is called platinum. The presence of a large amount of platinum hair in the pubescence of foxes is undesirable. They, to a greater extent than silver ones, are prone to breakage of the rod, which leads to the development of a defect in pubescence - cross-section. The black ends of the hair form a veil over the silvery zone.

That silver-black foxes never show obvious rufous tones can be explained by the different pigmentation of the hairline. There is evidence that black-brown foxes have both black and yellow pigment (but black suppresses the manifestation of yellow), while silver-black foxes have only black. In both cases, black pigment develops on all pigmented areas of the hair.

In the early years of fur farming, both silver-black and black-brown foxes were bred abroad, but the number of the latter gradually decreased, and they were completely replaced by the silver-black fox.

The silver-black fox was the first object of domestic fur farming.

When crossing silver-black foxes with black-brown foxes, the offspring has the color of gray foxes or bastards.

Sivodushki, bastards and "zamarayki"

When silver-black or black-brown foxes are crossed with red foxes, the color inheritance of the offspring differs in appearance from both parents. But the coloring can vary significantly: sivodushki (krestovki), bastards and "zamarayki" can be obtained. Foxes of these colors are not bred on farms.

The gray foxes are characterized by a significantly greater development of black pigment than the red foxes. They have a dark muzzle, except for rufous spots near the ears, a dark stripe runs between the ears and extends to the back and shoulder blades. Red spots remain around the ears, on the neck, behind the shoulder blades, as a result of which a more or less pronounced dark cross forms on the shoulders. Black coloration sometimes passes to the abdomen. On the rump, the dark color descends to the hind legs, but the areas at the root of the tail remain rufous. Chest, belly, legs dark. All, even very dark, gray hairs on the back, in addition to black hair, also have red hair, which distinguishes foxes of this type from black-brown ones with highly developed red spotting.

Bastards are similar in color to red foxes, but always have black spots on both sides of the upper lip ("whiskers"). The black coloration on the paws is much more developed and spreads on the front paws up to the elbow, and on the hind legs - along the front surface of the leg to the knee joint. A significant amount of black hair is scattered over the entire surface of the body and especially on the tail, which gives the coloration a denser tone. Their belly is gray or black.

"Zamarayki" (the term of Kamchatka hunters) are widespread in Kamchatka, in those areas where black-brown foxes are found. "Zamarayki" have a great resemblance to bastards.

At birth, gray foxes and bastards have the same color: they are gray, like puppies of black foxes, and have only small brown areas near the ears and on the body behind the front paws. In red foxes, puppies are also gray, but the brown coloring captures the entire upper part of the head. Subsequently, in bastards, earlier than in sivodushki, gray hair is replaced by red. In red fox puppies, the change from gray to red hair is most intense.

Pastel Fox

The pastel fox has a chocolate brown color. Her eyes, nose and claws are much lighter than those of silver-black. This fox did not receive distribution.

"Beige amber"

Fromm's farm in the USA breeds foxes called "beige amber" (Mauve amber). These animals are beige in color with a pinkish-blue tint. The guard hairs are blond and have only beige tips; fluff - from gray-beige, with a blue tint, to light beige. When crossed with silver-black foxes, they produce silver-black offspring.

Platinum Fox

The pubescence of the platinum fox is characterized by a decrease in color and the appearance of a pattern in the form of white spotting, forming a certain pattern: a white stripe runs from the tip of the nose between the eyes and ears to the back of the head, where it merges with a wide white collar. On the chest, the collar is connected to the white belly. The tips of the paws are white, but they usually have individual pigmented spots on them. The white pattern is not clearly expressed in all platinum foxes. Darker forms have pigmented areas on a white spot, they are especially often observed on the neck, forming an incomplete collar, and sometimes the total area of ​​the pattern is reduced. In lighter forms, white spots on the muzzle are very large: the ears turn out to be white, the white spot spreads over the frontal part and around the eyes. The eyes in this case acquire a blue color.

Platinum foxes are characterized by the presence of platinum hair, in which only the top is pigmented, and the middle and lower parts are white. The lack of color is considered a very light tone and brownish spots. When bred in purity, the fecundity of this form of foxes is 25% lower. When crossed with silver-black foxes, the fecundity of females is normal.

This breed appeared in 1933 in Norway on a silver-black fox farm. The name of the first male platinum fox is often called "mons". When platinum foxes are crossed with red foxes, both puppies with the color of ordinary gray foxes and bastards, as well as platinum gray foxes and platinum bastards (also called golden ones) will be born. At platinum sivodushki and ba-
Stards black and yellow pigments are located on the body, as in ordinary ones, with an undiluted color, but the general tone is much lighter, and they have a white pattern characteristic of platinum animals.

pearl fox

Like platinum, pearl foxes have a weakened color, but there is no pattern formed by white hair color. Platinum fox and pearl fox are crossed to produce ice fox.

Washington Platinum and Radium Foxes

These foxes have gray hair covering the entire body, head, paws and tail. These mutations have not received distribution, they are not bred here.

white-faced fox

In the white-faced fox, the skin pattern is the same as in the platinum fox, but the color intensity corresponds to the color of the silver-black foxes. Some breeders even note that white-faced silver-black foxes have a more intense black color. Sometimes the pattern is reduced to small white spots on the forehead, chest and paws.

The most widespread are white-faced silver-black foxes.

When crossing white-faced and platinum foxes, young animals are obtained in three colors: silver-black, white-faced and platinum, in a ratio close to 1:1:1.

snow fox

Other names for the snow fox are Georgian white, Bakurian. The coloration is white, black ears and black spots on the muzzle, back and paws. Cream shades are considered undesirable. This breed was obtained in the 40s of the XX century in the Bakurian fur farm.

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

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

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

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U. cinereoargenteus, New Mexico

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U. cinereoargenteus, Minnesota

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U. cinereoargenteus, north Florida

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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 the Great 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 were the time of the height of the 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. All day long, through the forests adjacent to the main road, he followed a large French transport of cavalry things and Russian prisoners, separated from other troops and under strong cover, as 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.

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.

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.

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 obtaining food for puppies and protecting the boundaries of the family plot from the penetration of other foxes.

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