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The gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), or grey fox, is an omnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, widespread throughout North America and Central America.This species and its only congener, the diminutive island fox (Urocyon littoralis) of the California Channel Islands, are the only living members of the genus Urocyon, which is considered to be genetically sister to all other living canids.
This fox is a mostly solitary animal, but may form loosely-knit social groups of a few individuals. They are nomadic, temporarily occupying defined home ranges. Its diet consists of rodents, birds, and fish as well as some desert vegetation or even carrion. They are most active at night. The small foxes open the eyes after 10 days from birth.
The island fox eats fruits, insects, birds, eggs, land snails, [14] crabs, lizards, amphibians, [14] and small mammals, including deer mice (Peromyscus sp.), as well as human refuse. [14] In addition, they are known to scavenge for food on beaches along the coastline. [14] The fox tends to move around by itself, rather than in packs.
Juvenile red foxes are known as kits. Males are called tods or dogs, females are called vixens, and young are known as cubs or kits. [14] Although the Arctic fox has a small native population in northern Scandinavia, and while the corsac fox's range extends into European Russia, the red fox is the only fox native to Western Europe, and so is simply called "the fox" in colloquial British English.
A red fox (Vulpes vulpes) eating a rodent—an example of a mesocarnivoreA mesocarnivore is an animal whose diet consists of 30–70% meat with the balance consisting of non-vertebrate foods which may include insects, fungi, fruits, other plant material and any food that is available to them. [1]
The word fox comes from Old English and derives from Proto-Germanic *fuhsaz. [nb 1] This in turn derives from Proto-Indo-European *puḱ-"thick-haired, tail." [nb 2] Male foxes are known as dogs, tods, or reynards; females as vixens; and young as cubs, pups, or kits, though the last term is not to be confused with the kit fox, a distinct
The Corsac fox is a medium-sized fox, with a head and body length of 45 to 65 cm (18 to 26 in), and a tail 19 to 35 cm (7.5 to 13.8 in) long. Adults weigh from 1.6 to 3.2 kilograms (3.5 to 7.1 lb). It has grey to yellowish fur over much of the body, with paler underparts and pale markings on the mouth, chin, and throat.
Any human disruptions can be tolerated, but with the increase of human populations and the increased growth of grasslands for agricultural and industrial use, the habitat of the Bengal fox is continually being reduced. The combination of the above causes, combined with disease and/or natural mortality, could potentially cause localized extirpation.