Skulk!

Gray fox and kit by Brenda Ouwerkerk

Chances are, you will never see a "skulk" of animals. Why? Because skulk is the term used for a group of foxes, and foxes are solitary animals. Though the expression fits the stereotype of the fox as a trickster, I prefer to think of them as clever and adaptive creatures.

Our local fox, the gray fox, (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) is ashen silver in color, with reddish patches on legs and neck. A distinctive black stripe down the tail ending in a black tip sets them apart from their relatives, the red fox and Channel Island fox.

 

Foxes are nocturnal or crepuscular, active during the low-light periods of early morning or evening. Whiskers on the face and legs help them to navigate in the dark, similar to cats. And like cats, when pursued, they will climb into a tree using strong hooked claws.

 

Despite their shy nature, we see gray foxes fairly often on our property. They'll dart across the trail when I'm out for my morning hike or run in front of the car when we're driving in at night. They're speedy little guys, running at top speeds of 42 mph. 

 

You're more likely to hear these elusive neighbors than see them. Foxes bark to ward off competitors, to call family members, or as a warning call. Don't be alarmed if you hear something screaming in the night around January or February. During mating season, the vixen emits a high-pitched scream to attract a mate. In captivity, foxes make a sound like a cat's purr called a "murr" when content.

 

If you encounter scat with partially digested manzanita berries in the spring, you're likely seeing fox scat. From winter to spring, the diet is supplemented by nuts, seeds, and fruits. The bulk of their diet is small mammals, making foxes important regulators of rodents.

 

Foxes, like skunks and raccoons, are mesopredators. A mesopredator is a mid-ranking predator that preys on smaller animals, while it's also threatened by apex predators. Foxes compete with and are preyed upon by coyotes, bobcats, great-horned owls, and golden eagles. When they are killed by coyotes, they are often left uneaten. The coyote is killing a rival with which it shares a common food source. Clever foxes avoid predation by living close to human structures that tend to be avoided by their wilier competitors.

 

The gray fox is an animal of least concern according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In California, the gray fox population is thriving, a sign of a healthy food chain. By keeping rodent numbers in check, foxes are helping to control disease transmission and reduce property damage.