Family CANIDAE 111 



Distribution. — According to a report by Robert Kennicott 

 (1859:250), the badger was present in northern Illinois at the 

 time he wrote. It had once been "numerous, at least as far 

 south as the middle of the State, ' and had been seen 30 years 

 before "near the Kaskaslcia River." Subsequent reports indicate 

 that by the late 1800's the badger had nearly disappeared from 

 Illinois, but in recent years it has re-established itself in the 

 northern half of the state. It is now common locally in north- 

 western Illinois and is known as far south as Fulton and Doug- 

 las counties. The subspecies in this state is Taxidra taxus taxus 

 (Schreber). The range of the badger includes most of the west- 

 ern half of the United States, fig. 59, with eastern extensions 

 into Michigan and Ohio, northern extensions into southern 

 Canada, and southern extensions into northern Mexico. 



VULPES FULVA (Desmarest) 

 Red Fox 



Description. — The red fox is about the size of a small dog 

 and has a pointed muzzle, prominent ears, and a long, bushy tail. 

 It is mostly yellowish red in color (the color is more intense 

 down the middle of the back and on the tail than elsewhere) ; 

 it is whitish on the belly, throat, cheeks, and inner sides of the 

 ears. Its feet are black, and its tail is tipped with white. 



In Illinois this fox rarely shows marked color variations or 

 color phases. A "silver" fox is an individual that has black fur, 

 instead of red, with white hairs sprinkled among the black. A 

 "cross" fox is an individual that has part of the fur black and 

 part red, with the black along the back and over the shoulders 

 forming a cross as seen from above. It resembles a gray fox 

 superficially. A "black" is entirely melanistic. 



Length measurements: head and body 28-34 inches (715-870 

 mm.), tail 12-15 inches (300-380 mm.), over-all 40 inches 

 (1,015-1,025 mm.), hind foot 6l4-6^ inches (160-170 mm.), 

 ear from notch 3]^ inches (85-90 mm.). Weight: 8-14 pounds. 



The skull is 135-160 mm. (5i/4-6i4 inches) long; the two 

 temporal ridges on top of the braincase, fig. 60a, may closely ap- 

 proach one another or may converge to form a weak sagittal 

 crest. The lower jaw has two notches at the posterior end, 

 fig. 60c, but lacks the "step" of the gray fox, fig. 60^/. Dental 

 formula: I 3/3, C 1/1, Pm 4/4, M 2/3. 



