The medium-sized gray fox is blackish-gray above and reddish-brown below. This fox is a common inhabitant of the lower elevations in the park. Unlike the red fox, this species prefers forested areas. Heavily wooded swamps as well as rough, hilly terrain near streams and lakes provide ideal habitat. The gray fox is primarily nocturnal, and is active during all seasons. The gray fox is a tree-climbing fox. It often seeks refuge in a tree when being pursued. It is an opportunistic feeder and depends on seasonal food availability.

Species Description:
- Adult Total Length: 810-1,140 mm (32-44 in.)
- Tail: 280-430 mm (11-17 in.)
- Hind Foot: 100-150 mm (4-6 in.)
- Weight: 3-6 kg (7-14 lb.)
- Physical Characteristics: The medium-sized gray fox is blackish-gray above and reddish-brown below. Alternating black and white bands on the guard hairs give the upperparts a salt-and-pepper appearance. Areas of white fur are present on the throat, chest, and along the middle of the abdomen. The feet, legs, back of the ears, and sides of the neck are rusty-yellow. The long, bushy tail has a median black stripe and a black tip.

Habitat:
Unlike the red fox, this species prefers forested areas; thus, this is the common fox throughout the deciduous forests of the eastern and southern United States. Heavily wooded swamps as well as rough, hilly terrain near streams and lakes provide ideal habitat.

Reproduction:
Young gray foxes are usually born in March or April after a gestation period of about 59 days (Fritzell, 1999). Average litters consist of four pups. Both parents provide for and protect the pups, which are weaned between 8 and 10 weeks of age. Juveniles reach their adult weight at the age of five to six months. An adult male and female and their offspring normally comprise the typical gray fox social unit which maintains a range separate from other such family groups. Young foxes remain with the female until fall at which time they disperse.

Longevity:
Wild gray foxes probably live for several years (Linzey, 1995a).

Terrestrial Ecology:
The gray fox is primarily nocturnal and is active during all seasons. Dens may be located in slab and scrap piles around abandoned sawmills, in hollow logs, under rocks, and in ground burrows. Den sites are usually located in dense cover.

The gray fox is a tree-climbing fox. It often seeks refuge in a tree when being pursued. It may leap upon limbs of low trees and hop from branch to branch as it ascends, or it may hug the trunk with its forelimbs and force itself upward with its hind limbs.

Feeding Habits:
The gray fox is omnivorous. It is an opportunistic feeder and depends on seasonal food availability. Major foods consist of small mammals such as rabbit (Leporidae) and rodent (Rodentia), insects, birds and other vertebrates, nuts, and fruits. Examination of the stomach contents of a gray fox found near Smokemont in August, 1934, revealed grasshoppers, beetles, pokeweed seeds, and a spider. The stomach of a young male found near Smokemont on October 30, 1939, contained several persimmon seeds, an acorn, a maple seed, and the fur of a small mammal (Linzey, 1995b). The stomach of a third specimen found near Smokemont in late September, 1950, contained 95% camel crickets and 5% other insects and centipedes (Pfitzer, 1950).

Diseases:
The enterococci Streptococcus faecalis and Streptococcus faecium were recorded from fecal specimens by Mundt (1963).

Predators and Defense:
Humans with their rifles, traps, and automobiles are the most important enemy of the gray fox. Coyote (Canis latrans) and Bobcat (Lynx rufus) may kill a few.

Parasites:
None recorded from the park.

The gray fox is found throughout the eastern United States, and in the western states north to northwestern Oregon, central Nevada, and northern Colorado. The range extends southward through Mexico into Central America.

This fox is a common inhabitant of the lower elevations in the park. Unlike the red fox, this species prefers forested areas. The highest locality recorded is Newfound Gap where a park employee observed an animal believed to be a gray fox (Stupka).

References:

Fritzell, E.K. 1999. Gray Fox. Pages 152-154 . In: D.E. Wilson, and S. Ruff (eds.). The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.

Fritzell, E.K. and K.J. Haroldson. 1982. Urocyon cinereoargenteus. Mammalian Species No. 189: 1-8. American Society of Mammalogists.

Linzey, D. W. 1995a. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, Inc., Blacksburg, Virginia.

Linzey, D. W. 1995b. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park-1995 Update. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 111(1): 1-81.

Linzey, D. W. 1998. The Mammals of Virginia. The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, Inc., Blacksburg, Virginia.

Mundt, J.O. 1963. Occurrence of Enterococci in Animals in a Wild Environment. Applied Microbiology 11: 136-140.

Pfitzer, D.W. 1950. Report on Mammals Collected or Observed, June-October, 1950. (Typewritten copy in files of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.)

Stupka, A. 1935-63. Nature Journal, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 28 vols. (years) each with index. (Typewritten copy in files of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.)