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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.
A night time shot of an island fox with three mice in its jaws. The lowest on the food chain are the plants. Deer mice and small vermin, like the spotted skunk, follow, along with insects, lizards, and small birds, mammals and fish. The predatory animals include sharks, orcas (an apex predator), eagles, and foxes.
The fox tends to move around by itself, rather than in packs. It is generally nocturnal, although with peaks of activity at dawn and dusk. Activity also fluctuates with the season: It is more active during the day in summer than it is in winter. [11] "Wild foxes wait for flying fish on sand" (Los Angeles Times, 1920)
Foxes also have very specific dietary needs. They eat lots of fresh meat like rabbits and mice and need to eat lots of taurine, an amino acid, in their foods to keep them healthy.
A fox's dentition, like all other canids, is I 3/3, C 1/1, PM 4/4, M 3/2 = 42. (Bat-eared foxes have six extra molars, totalling in 48 teeth.) Foxes have pronounced carnassial pairs, which is characteristic of a carnivore. These pairs consist of the upper premolar and the lower first molar, and work together to shear tough material like flesh.
Diurnality, plant or animal behavior characterized by activity during the day and sleeping at night. Cathemeral, a classification of organisms with sporadic and random intervals of activity during the day or night. Matutinal, a classification of organisms that are only or primarily active in the pre-dawn hours or early night.
During this time of year, while foxes are more active, especially with their pups, you may see foxes running around with what looks like another animal stuffed in its mouth.
Unlike the red fox which, during the chase, will run far ahead from the pack, the gray fox will speed toward heavy brush, thus making it more difficult to pursue. Also unlike the red fox, which occurs more prominently in the northern United States, the more southern gray fox is rarely hunted on horseback, due to its densely covered habitat ...