Urocyon cinereoargenteus, Commonly known as gray fox, it is a mammal of the canidae family (Canidae) that can reach up to 1.13 m in length and a maximum of 9 kilos in weight..
Its head is narrow, its muzzle short and sharp, while the ears are well developed. In turn, its legs are short, armed with curved and sharp claws, and its tail is long and very bushy..
Despite being a canid, in some localities it is known as a deer cat or a bush cat. It is an American species, with a distribution range that extends from central and eastern Canada to Venezuela. It preferably lives in deciduous wooded areas, although it is also found among bushes, shrubs and rocky environments.
It is a shy and solitary species that flees from any threatening noise and only forms groups in the reproductive season, when it can be observed with its partner and its cubs. He can climb trees, an ability that most species in the family have lost and that only he and the raccoon dog retain..
Despite the fragmentation and deterioration that its habitat has suffered due to human activity, and the fact that it is eventually captured as a pet, the populations of the species have not decreased significantly in recent years. For this reason, it is classified as a species of “Least Concern” in the IUCN list of threatened species..
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The gray fox has a total length that varies between 0.75 and 1.13 meters, with a tail that can reach up to a third of that length. The average weight is around 5 kg, although exceptionally it can weigh up to 9 kg.
The head is narrow, with the skull presenting widely separated temporal margins and in the shape of a "U", the snout is sharp and not very pronounced compared to that of other species of canids. The ears are well developed. Its legs are short and the toes end in sharp curved claws.
The coat is soft and the tail is very dense and abundant. The coloration is gray on the top of its head, the upper part of the trunk and the tail, while most of the lower parts of the body are brown.
The tail ends in a dark tip, and there is a black line between the mouth and the eyes. The throat, the belly and the inside of the ears, meanwhile, have a white coloration.
The pupil of the gray fox is oval rather than cleft as is found in other canid species. In the mouth there are a total of 42 teeth distributed according to the dental formula: I 3/3, C 1/1, P 4/4, M 2/3 x 2. In the following video you can see a specimen of this species:
The gray fox is a mammal (class Mammalia) taxonomically located in the order Carnivora, suborder Caniformia, family Canidae, genus Urocyon and species U. cinereoargenteus.
The gender Urocyon was first described by Baird in 1857, who selected U. cinereoargenteus as a type species. This genus has only two recent species, the gray fox and the island fox (U. littoralis).
Additionally, there is a kind of Urocyon of which only fossil records exist and which is called U. progressus. This inhabited North America between the Pliocene and the Pleistocene.
It is a genus considered monophyletic and basal within the group of canids, that is, one of the most primitive genera. It radiated early along with the species of the genus Otocyon, which is considered a sister group of Urocyon.
For its part, the species Urocyon cinereoargenteus was first described by Schreber in 1775, as Canis virginianus. Currently 16 subspecies of gray fox are recognized.
The silver fox lives preferably in places with high or dense vegetation in temperate and tropical zones, such as deciduous forests, shrubs and bushes, although it can also inhabit arid and semi-arid zones. It builds its burrow in hollow tree trunks, between rocks, or in holes in the ground..
Urocyon cinereoargenteus it is the only canid species that is distributed both north and south of the American continent. It inhabits southern Canada (from Manitoba to southeastern Quebec) to Venezuela and Colombia, in northern South America, except in some regions of the United States and Central America.
Despite being a single species, a geographical segregation of the 16 known subspecies is observed, with U. cinereoragenteus borealis as one of the northernmost subspecies and U. cinereoargenteus venezuelae as the southernmost species.
Gray foxes are dioecious organisms with a slight sexual dimorphism, the males being slightly larger than the females. They have a maximum longevity of 16 years in captivity. Females reach sexual maturity a few days before males, who mature at approximately one year of age..
The organisms of this species are solitary, except in the breeding season where they are found in pairs, which remain together during the breeding season. After which it is difficult to see them together although they return to form a couple in the next reproductive season, that is, they are monogamous. The reproductive cycle of this species is annual.
The reproductive season will vary depending on the locality, but generally begins in December or January and ends in April. After a brief courtship and copulation, there is a gestation period that lasts 53 to 57 days and the female gives birth to a litter of variable size, although generally there are four puppies that weigh about 95 grams each..
Parturition occurs in a burrow made up of a hollow trunk, a crevice between rocks, or a hole dug by the female herself. The female suckles the cubs for almost two months. The male collaborates in the rearing of the cubs for four months, when they are able to hunt and defend themselves and abandon the mother.
Urocyon cinereoargentus it is an omnivorous species, that is, its diet includes both material of animal origin and plant origin. Foods of plant origin are represented mainly by fruits, seeds and roots. These can be the main components of the diet during the spring months.
The animal component of the diet, for its part, is quite varied and generally includes species that hunt alone. Its main prey are rodents and lagomorphs, such as rats, mice, hares and rabbits of various species. It also catches shrews, birds and reptiles, mainly lizards..
Among invertebrate species, they are part of the diet of U. cinereoargenteus: beetles, butterflies, moths, grasshoppers. Sometimes the gray fox uses carrion to complete its diet. It also consumes organic waste when it lives near human settlements..
Although in general the canids show a gregarious behavior, the gray fox is a rather solitary species, showing a tendency to group together only during the reproductive season, when small groups formed by the couple and their young can be observed..
The young leave the family group when they reach sexual maturity. Males have a greater tendency to dispersal than females, who tend to move less away from the family group and eventually return during the first weeks.
It is a shy species, which shuns the noises and the presence of the human being. It is mainly nocturnal. During the day it is hidden in its burrow and is activated to hunt, move or search for a mate during the hours of the night.
During the hunt it does not form herds, but acts equally alone. If the result of the hunt is abundant, the fox stores the food in one place, which it marks with urine to be able to locate it later more easily.
If threatened, the gray fox is able to climb trees to escape its enemy, an ability that only shares with the raccoon dog within the group of canids. It can also climb in search of food.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Urocyon cinereoargenteus is located in the Least Concern category of the red list of threatened species.
It is a species with a wide distribution and despite the fact that in some localities its populations have suffered significant declines, in general terms the population has remained relatively stable in recent decades..
The main threat facing this species is degradation and loss of habitat due to urban and rural expansions. Interspecific competition for food with domestic animals, mainly cats that have gone wild, is a growing problem for the survival of the gray fox..
Although its fur is not highly prized, it is eventually hunted for it. It is also considered a pest in some localities where the expansion of human activities have increased human interactions with this species that can attack poultry for food..
The capture of organisms to keep them as exotic pets and the increase in diseases due to contact with domestic species are two other factors that also affect gray fox populations..
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