Just about every Lake County resident has had an experience with a wild animal coming into their backyard. Deer are commonly seen as are wild turkeys and a variety of other critters, including wild foxes, bobcats and even the occasional bear or mountain lion.
Recently there have been sightings of a gray fox in Library Park in Lakeport. Gray foxes are commonly seen in Clear Lake State Park. Whereas most of their diet consists of rodents such as ground squirrels, gophers and even insects, they have been known to kill small cats and even small dogs.
Gray foxes are beautiful animals and are common throughout the county but are rarely seen because they are mostly active at night. They are also a very shy creature. With an adult only weighing from 8-10 pounds they are one of the smallest of the dog or Canidae family. The gray fox goes back more than 3 million years. Unlike its cousin the red fox, the gray fax quickly adapts to humans and has been known to venture in backyards and even take up residence in barns and sheds.
Foxes breed from January through Mark. The gray fox tends to breed two to four weeks later than the red fox. After an average gestation period of 53 days, the female fox gives birth to a litter averaging four or five pups. The gray fox usually does not use an underground den, but instead dens in dense brush, cavities in stumps and trees, rock crevices or under outbuildings such as barns and sheds. Most foxes have more than one den and will readily move their young if disturbed. The pups stay in the den until for four to five weeks after which they emerge and begin playing outside the den entrance.
Both adults care for the young by bringing food and guarding the den site. At about 12 weeks of age the pups are weaned and join the adults on hunting forays and learn to catch food for themselves. In the fall, the young disperse from the family unit and usually breed the first spring after they are born.
One unusual trait of the gray fox is its tree climbing ability. It is the only fox capable of climbing a tree and has been known to climb as high as 70 feet in a tree. A few years ago a local family of foxes could often be seen climbing a walnut tree that was near their den in Lakeport.
Foxes have pointed ears, an elongated snout and a long, bushy tail which is carried horizontally. The gray fox is somewhat stout and has shorter legs than the red fox. Its coat is mostly grizzled-gray. The sides of the neck, back of the ears, chest, the inner and back surfaces of the legs, feet, and the sides of the belly and underneath the tail are all reddish-brown. The cheeks, throat, inner ears and most of the underside are white. The upper part of the tail, including the tip, is black. Adult foxes have few predators although feral dogs and coyotes will not tolerate foxes within their territories and will kill them.
A baby fox is called a Kit or pup and the mother is called a vixen. The male is called Reynard. The adults make a sound like a sharp high-pitched bark.
Coyotes are common throughout Lake County and their high-pitched howling can be heard throughout the county. They tend to hunt at night and den up during the daylight hours. Coyotes prey on squirrels, gophers and other small creatures. They also will kill and eat fawns. They travel in family groups.
Mountain lions and bobcats are also common throughout county. A month ago a mountain lion was spotted looking through a patio window on Martin Street in Lakeport. They are normally a shy animal and rarely attack humans.
The gray fox, lions and coyotes are just another example of the abundant wildlife in Lake County. Humans tend to want to feed these wild animals but they shouldn’t because they will become dependent on humans for food and will stop hunting, which can result in death by starvation.
