Also known as the tree fox, the gray fox closely resembles a small dog, with its bushy tail and pointed ears, weighing in between 8 and 15 pounds.  These canines have grayish, grizzled fur with red patches on the neck and back and white at the throat, and can be distinguished from the red fox by their black-tipped tail (the red’s is white-tipped).  

Unique in the dog family for their ability to climb trees, grays possess semi-retractable nails that act like hooked claws, allowing them to get food, avoid predators and sun themselves.

Gray fox do not tolerate humans as well as red fox, so they tend to be found in more rural areas, denning by day in groundhog burrows, tree cavities and logs. Opportunistic feeders, grays will eat rodents, fruits, vegetables and seeds, and can often be spotted hunting frogs and turtles and stealing eggs from waterfowl nests along the Bay’s creeks and streams.

Photograph of Gray Fox courtesy of
US Dept. of Interior - Bureau of Reclamation

For more information:
Maryland Wildlife: Gray Fox