Where does the gray fox live?
The gray fox lives in North and Central America. It is found in most rocky, wooded, brushy regions of the southern half of North America, from southern Canada to the north of South America. Once the most common fox in the eastern United States, it was overtaken there by the red fox as people advanced and cut down forests. It still thrives in urban and suburban areas, such as southern Florida, and remains the main fox in the Pacific States and the Great Lakes region.
What does the gray fox eat?
It is an omnivore. It is specifically adapted to climb trees: its strong, hooked claws let it scramble up to escape predators such as the domestic dog or the coyote, or to reach food in the trees. It can climb branchless, vertical trunks to heights of 18 m and jump from branch to branch.
Is the gray fox endangered?
No: the IUCN lists it as Least Concern. Along with the small island fox of the California Channel Islands, it is one of the only two members of the genus Urocyon, which is genetically sister to all other living canids. Its species name means "ashen silver".
