The gray fox turns up in 843 North Carolina records spread across all three regions of the state, from Nantahala and Pisgah national forests in the mountains through Uwharrie National Forest and the Lower Haw River State Natural Area in the Piedmont to Croatan National Forest and Nags Head Woods on the coast. Wake County holds the single largest share.
The fox that climbs trees
Gray foxes are the only North American canids that routinely climb. Strong, curved claws let them scramble up trunks and along limbs to escape dogs and coyotes, raid bird nests, and sometimes den above ground in a hollow tree. That trick suits a woodland animal, and the gray fox is exactly that, a fox of forest, brush, and tangled edges rather than open fields.
An omnivore of the understory
The diet runs from mice, voles, and rabbits to insects, and in summer and fall to a heavy share of fruit, persimmons, grapes, and berries. Records stay steady in every month, with highs in June, when family groups are active near dens, and December, when pairs begin traveling together ahead of the winter breeding season. Because it works at night, the gray fox is far commoner than it is seen.
Status in North Carolina
NatureServe ranks the gray fox S5, Secure, in North Carolina, and the species is native to the state. USGS NAS does not list it as nonindigenous here.
Full species profile
