Critter Corner No. 32 – The Gray Fox by George Sly

Now that we’ve introduced the red fox, it’s only fair to spotlight its close relative—the gray fox. Weighing 10–12 pounds and measuring about three feet long, Urocyon cinereoargenteus is a small canid that favors brushy or wooded habitats over the more open areas preferred by the red fox.

Given this habitat preference, it is perhaps unsurprising to learn that the gray fox is a capable tree-climber. This adaptation enhances their ability to escape predators. Their search for arboreal food such as bird eggs, fledglings, and fruit is also augmented by being scansorial (having the ability to climb). Unlike other canids, gray foxes have semi-retractable claws which allow them to grip tree bark and climb vertically, much like a cat.

J.O. Whitaker Jr., in his Mammals of Indiana: A Field Guide, notes that the gray fox occurs statewide but has undergone a population decline even more significant than the red fox. He cites data showing that in the mid-1970’s, 0.58% of 692 road kills analyzed were gray foxes. By 2001, only four were recorded from among 2,913 road kills (0.14%). Whitaker hypothesizes that increased coyote numbers and subsequent competition for den sites and habitat may be causes of the gray fox’s decline. Habitat loss and fragmentation have likely impacted gray fox numbers in our state as well. The Indiana DNR website lists Patoka Lake and Harrison-Crawford State Forests as locales where one might see a gray fox, especially at night.

Foods eaten by gray foxes include mice, songbirds, cottontails, and corn. This species usually mates in January or February and three to four young are born about seven weeks after copulation.

An interesting sidenote is the presence of the gray fox in Native American folklore and mythology. In fact, many species of Indiana mammals play a role in the rich oral traditions of the First Peoples of the Eastern woodlands. Furthermore, one might logically ask, why do animal stories appear nearly universally among the aboriginal peoples of the world?

First, such societies commonly practice animistic religions. In such belief systems, animals are viewed as spiritual beings who also possess wisdom and the capacity to act independently in the world.

Additionally, aboriginal people live in close connection with the land. Relationships with the plants and animals around them are constant and intimate. As a result, observations about animal behaviors are commonly integrated into cultural teachings through oral traditions.

Moral instruction is another common function of this blending of animals into culture. Through animal stories society members are taught the value of wisdom, the meaning of courage, patience and perseverance, and an underlying respect for nature.

The role of the gray fox varies among tribes and regions but has been seen by Native Americans as a trickster who uses stealth and wit to outsmart threats. In other instances, this fox was seen as a shapeshifter, a spirit guide, or a problem solver.

Within the Lenape tribe, originally prevalent in the northeastern U.S., it was said that the gray fox taught humans the art of moving silently through the forest. Their story relates how a young hunter struggled to stalk deer without success. The gray fox, seeing the youth’s frustration, offered to help. The fox then demonstrated how to walk softly, avoid snapping twigs, and use wind direction to conceal an approach. By mimicking the actions of the fox, the hunter harvested a deer. The tribe honored the fox afterwards by initiating a ritual dance which imitated its movements.

Such ubiquitous aboriginal stories emphasize respect for the animals with whom these people shared their world. Central to this mythology is the practice of humility in learning from nature. Here is a story of ecological responsibility that modern humans would do well to remember. It is an object lesson as vital in the 21st century as it was in the 14th.