114 Order CARNIVORA 



a straij2:ht line, not stagjrered; prints of hind and front feet on 

 the same side of the fox generally register well. At both walking 

 and trotting gaits, the red fox makes tracks that vary from 9 to 

 16 inches apart. Strides of 14 to 16 inches usually indicate a 

 trot. Footprints of a galloping fox appear in groups of four; 

 the distance between groups on level ground measures usually 

 30 to 88 inches. The length of each group of four prints and 

 the distance between the groups increase with the rate of speed. 



Scats of adult foxes range from short fragments to 12 inches 

 in length, with an average length of 6.3 to 7.4 inches. Generally 

 there are two to four segments to a passage and there may be 

 as many as nine. 



The den of the red fox is generally made from the burrow of 

 a woodchuck, badger, or other animal; the burrow is enlarged 

 to a diameter of 9 to 12 inches. Frequently it is in a dry, sloping 

 bank or hillside with more than a 10 per cent grade. If in a 

 comparatively level area, it is almost invariably on a slight ele- 

 vation. Pathways, fig. 13, may radiate from the den, which is 

 usually surrounded with scats, tufts of rabbit fur, feathers, 

 bones, and the bodies of mice and other prey. Rabbit skulls left 

 by foxes characteristically have the basal and nasal parts gnawed 

 off, and only the central parts of the skulls remain. 



Distribution. — The red fox is common the length and breadth 

 of Illinois and is cyclic in abundance. Red foxes in this state 

 are currently referred to the subspecies Vulpes fulva fulva 

 (Desmarest), but further study may show that they are assign- 

 able to V. f. regalis Merriam. The range of the species includes 

 most of Canada, all of Alaska, and much of the United States. 

 It does not include parts of the southeastern and Gulf Coast 

 states and certain regions bordering the Rocky Mountains and 

 the Sierra Nevada. 



UROCYON CINEREOARGENTEUS (Schreber) 



Gray Fox 



Description. — The gray fox, fig. 70, is slightly smaller and 

 lighter in weight than the red fox. The upper parts are gray; 

 the tail is black at the tip and along the upper side; the legs, 

 feet, sides of neck, and back of each ear are rusty yellow; the 

 throat and belly are whitish, bordered by a rusty or rufous 

 color that continues onto the under side of the tail. 



