Life and Wildlife along the Little Buffalo River

This picture taken in August 2011 with a 840mm lens in my yard; he looks so sly:

They are very common in northwest Arkansas.

Family: Canidae, Dogs

Description A gray fox with a black-tipped tail. Back is grizzled gray; sides are cinnamon-colored; belly is tan. A dark stripe runs down center of back and onto black-tipped tail. Family units consist of breeding pair and their offspring.

Dimensions 80-113cm, 27-43cm, 3-7kg

Breeding Breeding season is January-March, and typically 4 pups are born about 2 months later. Pups begin foraging at about 4 months, and some may disperse as early as 7 months of age.

Habitat Alpine & subalpine habitats, Beaches, shorelines & estuaries, Canyons & caves, Cities, suburbs & towns, Forests & woodlands, Grasslands & prairies, Lakes, ponds, rivers & streams, Meadows & fields, Scrub, shrub & brush-lands

Range Plains, Great Lakes, New England, Mid-Atlantic, Rocky Mountains, Southeast, Southwest, Florida, Texas, California, Northwest, Eastern Canada, Western Canada, Alaska

Discussion Often climbs trees, a trait facilitated by forelegs that rotate more than those of other canids. Dens are located in dense clumps of brush, abandoned buildings, rock outcroppings, hollow logs, or burrows. Active mostly at dawn and dusk, and seldom seen in daylight when they rest in dense vegetation. May range across 5km_ when foraging. Our most omnivorous canid, eats fruit and prey the size of rabbits or smaller. Uses hardwood forests and brushy riparian habitats.

Gray fox