Lake County is a Mecca for wildlife. Deer, bear and even mountain lions are commonly seen throughout the urban areas.
One creature that has shown up with regularity within the past few years is the gray fox. A few weeks ago a resident of Lakeport set out a cage trap to catch a feral housecat but instead trapped an adult gray fox. After taking photos of the fox he released it into the nearby woods. Earlier this week a gray fox was seen walking near the old KMart building in Lakeport. There have even been reporting sightings of a gray fox in Library Park in Lakeport and they are commonly seen in the Clear Lake State Park. A couple of weeks ago weeks ago a gray fox got into a chicken pen of my neighbor and killed several chickens. 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.
They are a beautiful animal and are common throughout the county but are rarely seen because they are most active at night. They are also a very shy creature. With an adult only weighing from 8 to 10 pounds they are one of the smallest of the dog or Canidae family. The gray fox goes back more than three million years. Unlike its shy cousin the red fox, the gray 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 March with the gray fox tending 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 out-buildings 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 about four to five weeks of age, after which they emerge and begin to play 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, learning to catch food for themselves. In the fall, the young disperse from the family unit and will 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 have been known to climb as high as 70 feet in a tree. A few years ago a local family of foxes would 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, a band across the chest, the inner and back surfaces of the legs, the feet, the sides of the belly and the under surface of 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, however feral dogs and coyotes likely 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.
The gray fox is just another indication of the abundance of wildlife in Lake County. However, wildlife shouldn’t be fed because they will become dependent on humans for food and will not hunt. This can result in death from starvation.
