Gray Fox

            The gray fox, as we saw at the Adirondack Wildlife Refuge, is an adorable animal of the Park that is much less well known than the red fox. In areas of poor light, or when seen from the side, a gray fox can easily be mistaken for a red fox. The best way to distinguish a gray fox from the red fox is by the nearly black band along the upper part of the tail and the slender black patch on the snout of the gray fox. The gray fox also differs from the red fox by its claws that can dig into the bark of a tree along with jointed front paws that allow the canine to grasp the trunk of a tree and climb off the ground. While the gray fox cannot climb as skillfully as a raccoon, it can get high enough off of the forest floor to avoid being attacked by a coyote.

            The gray fox thrives in the deciduous woodlands of the Adirondacks. The ability of the fox to climb trees allows it to eat apples that have not yet fallen and clusters of acorns on low-hanging branches of oaks. The gray fox is much more likely to be found near hardwoods in the forests of the Adirondacks due to their nutritious mast. The forest also provides cover for this small predator, allowing it to move about an area without being easily spotted. The forest also provides a means of escape; if a coyote approaches a gray fox, it can easily dart up a tree and avoid attack. While the populations of red foxes tend to be lower in areas inhabited by coyotes, gray fox populations remain unchanged in regions in which the coyote has taken up residence.

            Recent changes in the Park have made the environment more suitable to the gray fox. Over the past century, the rise in the coyote population is believed to have negatively influenced red fox numbers throughout the Adirondacks, while the gray fox population has increased. This could also be related to the change in climate to warmer temperatures, which seems to favor the gray fox. The increase in gray fox populations can also be attributed to the maturing of the successive forests, which provide more hardwoods and areas of cover for the gray fox. The gray fox is certainly no longer a rarity in the Park, and visitors of the Adirondacks are increasingly likely to catch a glimpse of the little predator at dusk or dawn.  

Sources:

info: http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2013/08/adirondack-wildlife-the-gray-fox.html#sthash.BM1uNHJv.dpuf

picture: http://scvnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/grayfox2.jpg