Home >> Science & Nature >> Nature

The Ecosystem of Gray Foxes

Gray foxes are one of several species of fox native to the Americas, inhabiting mainly lowland ecosystems from southern Canada to Central America and common in many parts of the lower 48 states. Weighing between 5 and 20 lbs., these lithe, cat-like canids are distinguished from their common, more opportunistic cousin, the red fox, by their grizzled coats of gray, orange-red, black and white. They are significant omnivores in a variety of timbered and brushy ecosystems.

General Ecosystem Requirements
- Gray foxes often den in thickets, hollow tree trunks and rock crevices.
  
  Gray foxes in general prefer more forested environments than the red fox, which is something of a habitat generalist and seems to thrive in a mosaic of woodlot, field and suburb. One reason gray foxes are somewhat tied to timber is because they are among the few canids that climb: The foxes will dash up a trunk if threatened by a coyote or other potential predator. They also tend to den in dense thickets, hollow trees, rock crevices or other sequestered locations. Access to food items like rodents, birds, fruits and seeds also helps determine their preferred haunts, with a heterogeneous landscape often preferred: a stream to forage for frogs or crayfish, shrub-thickets for seeking out berries, and birds' nests and rocky outcrops to hunt lizards, for example.
Woodlands and Forests
- Gray foxes may roam the margins of bottomland swamps in the East.
  
  In eastern North America, gray foxes inhabit a variety of forest ecosystems, including the region's massive belt of temperate deciduous forest and the extensive pinewoods of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains. They are common in the East's great bottomlands like the Okefenokee and Great Dismal Swamp, prowling riverine and still-water swamps of bald-cypress and water tupelo as well as floodplain forests of sweetgum, red maple, black cherry and other deciduous trees.
Scrub and Savanna
- Gray foxes inhabit coastal scrub and chaparral in California.
  
  Gray foxes are also common in West Coast chaparral landscapes of California and southwestern Oregon. These diverse communities, heavily influenced by wildfire, consist of dense thickets of shrubs and small trees, mostly evergreen broadleaf species like live oaks and manzanita. The tangled brush and diverse food supply -- everything from acorns to ground squirrels -- offer plenty of resources for prowling gray foxes. They also roam many types of scrub and savanna of the Southwest, such as pinyon-juniper woodlands and mesquite scrub, as well as montane shrublands of rocky foothills.
Ecological Relationships
- The puma is an occasional predator of gray foxes.
  
  Wherever they are found, gray foxes function as important medium-sized carnivores and omnivores. They help manage populations of small mammals like mice, voles, squirrels and rabbits, and also snack on birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. They feed heavily on fruits and nuts, thus assisting in seed-dispersal. In turn, they are vulnerable to predation, especially when young: Fox kits may fall prey to bobcats, birds of prey and many other hunters. Adult foxes are occasionally killed by coyotes, pumas, golden eagles and possibly American alligators.

Nature