Know our local foxes

#MiddleburyCT #Foxes

A young red fox takes a break from playing with its litter mates, showing off its trademark dark legs, red coat and white markings. It is one of two types of foxes (red and gray) found here. (Gregory Bernard photo)

By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY

Middlebury is home to two foxes: the red fox and the gray fox. Most people are familiar with the former, and may not ever have known that we have another kind: the gray fox. If seen, many might have thought it was a small coyote or even a cat.

Fun fact: the two foxes belong to two different genera (the plural for genus): the red fox is Vulpes vulpes, and the gray fox is Urocyon cinereoargenteus. The two are only distantly related, despite the fact that both are called foxes and found in the same part of the world. Some research suggests red foxes are more closely related to coyotes than gray foxes. Both foxes are in the canid family which includes wolves, coyotes and dogs (genus Canis); South American foxes (genus Lycalopex); maned wolves (Chrysocyon), which you can see in the Bridgeport Zoo; and African hunting dogs (Lycaon).

What do our two foxes have in common? Both average 10-11 pounds, have pointed muzzles, pointy ears, and slanted eyes. Both have long, bushy tails that are carried horizontally when moving. They are a similar length, with the red being slightly longer (39-43” long including the tail), meaning both are considerably smaller than a coyote. Both breed in February through March. So how do you tell them apart?

Starting with the most familiar, red foxes are found over most of North America, and are abundant in Connecticut. Many people have seen one. They are usually red-colored, with dark legs and ears, and a long bushy tail with a white tip. Occasional red foxes are not particularly red, but the tail and dark legs are the give-away traits.

They are usually solitary, but comfortable enough around humans that you could have a den or family on your property. One reason to love them: they eat just about anything, including small rodents. They are most active around dawn and dusk but do get around during the day and are active all year.

They rarely (but can) carry rabies; they are more likely affected by mange. One very sad specimen was seen around Long Meadow Park a couple of years ago, badly afflicted and missing much of its fur. Their vocalizations vary. Some are yaps and yips, but others are more like a scream – a sound many people mistake for a fisher (a generally mute creature). It can sound creepy!

Gray foxes are not as common and are rarely seen. They are mostly nocturnal, and sadly, their numbers in Connecticut are declining so your odds are not improving. This writer has only seen one once. A neighbor initially thought the running animal in the headlights was a cat … an easy mistake with a quick view.

The snout is shorter than that of the red fox and looks a bit more cat-like in profile, and the legs are shorter and not black like those of the red fox. The coat is mostly a grizzled gray with some reddish fur around the neck, chest and legs, with dark markings on the snout and down the top of the tail.

The gray fox, unlike the red, is quite adept at climbing and jumping around in trees, using their rotating wrists and semi-retractable claws – another cat-like characteristic, although they are better at climbing up than down. A different neighbor had video of a fox that climbed a high fence, then made off with one of her chickens. Given that climbing ability, it was most likely a gray fox, probably the same one we saw, based on proximity.

Healthy foxes of either genus are not a hazard to humans, although they may be preyed upon by coyotes. They are two types of local wildlife that we can simply enjoy when we are lucky enough to see them.

Contact this writer at jswspotlight@gmail.com. You can visit the Middlebury Land Trust on Facebook or the website at middleburylandtrust.org. Happy hiking!