Red and Gray Foxes

Background

Intelligent predators, red and gray foxes can sense their prey from over the length of a football field away using their keen eyesight, smell and hearing. The body of a fox averages only about 23 inches long, but its 15-inch tail makes it seem like a much larger animal.

Distinctive Characteristics

Except for their coloring, the two foxes look much alike. With its brilliant orange fur and thick white-tipped tail, the red fox is much more distinctive looking than its gray cousin. Conversely, the gray has a duller coat and a black line running down its back. Only the gray fox can climb trees, a unique trait unshared by any other member of its species.

Habitat

Foxes live primarily underground. You may find them burrowed deep within an abandoned hole from a groundhog or sleeping within a hollow log. Both types adapt to new climates, but you're more likely to spot the gray fox in Cook Forest's rugged forest environment. Their varied diet consists of just about anything they can find. Eating small animals and birds as well as fruits and vegetation, the fox isn't picky.

Spotting a Fox

Over the years, foxes have adapted to humans. It's not unusual to see one scampering around a campsite or near the lodge. But since the fox is a nocturnal mammal, it rarely makes an appearance during daylight. Watch out for the red fox's brilliant red tail scurrying through an open field near a stream. Also, look carefully at those gray squirrels you may take for granted as they scamper up a tree. It could be a small gray fox running for cover. You can also frequently spot one of these scavengers picking at the remains of dead animals killed by larger predators.