Gray fox kit at the Palo Alto Baylands in California Gray foxes also have black around their eyes, on the lips, and on their noses. The gray fox displays white on the ears, throat, chest, belly, and hind legs. The grey fox has a stripe of black hair that runs along the middle of its tail, and individual guard hairs that are banded with white, gray, and black. The grey fox is readily distinguished from the red fox by its obvious lack of the "black stockings" that stand out on the red fox. The gray fox typically weighs 3.6 to 7 kg (7.9 to 15.4 lb), though exceptionally can weigh as much as 9 kg (20 lb). The tail measures 27.5 to 44.3 cm (10.8 to 17.4 in) of that length and its hind feet measure 100 to 150 mm (3.9 to 5.9 in). The gray fox ranges from 76 to 112.5 cm (29.9 to 44.3 in) in total length. There is little sexual dimorphism, save for the females being slightly smaller than males. Its claws tend to be lengthier and curved. Like other canids, the fox's ears and muzzle are angular and pointed. Diseases such as rabies, distemper and other canine sickness as well as drought related factors control the fox population much more than any human related source of mortality.The gray fox is mainly distinguished from most other canids by its grizzled upper parts, black stripe down its tail and strong neck, ending in a black-tipped tail, while the skull can be easily distinguished from all other North American canids by its widely separated temporal ridges that form a ‘U’-shape. Whatever the species, the annual take of about 3,500 fox by hunters, predator callers and trappers has been relatively stable in recent years and not a major source of mortality in the statewide fox population. Although kit foxes are remarkably easy to trap, their fur is of little value. The red fox occur mostly on the Navajo Indian Reservation and their take is not documented by the state. Gray fox account for the majority the fox taken and trapped in Arizona. Kit fox prefer sandy areas and are almost exclusively nocturnal spending much of the day underground. They are regularly active during daylight hours and are found throughout the state. Gray fox are the most numerous and most often seen fox. For all three species, the sexes are similar in size and pelage. It is most often seen at night in valleys and on sandy plains in the southwestern deserts. This diminutive fox is pale gray or buff in color, with a black-tipped tail. The 15 to 20 inch long kit fox (distribution shown on the right) has large, out-sized ears, a 9 to12 inch tail, and weighs less than 4 ½ pounds. It can be differentiated from other fox by its white-tipped tail and black ears. The yellowish and paler red fox is of similar size (2-foot head and body with a 12 to 16 inch tail) but is uncommon in Arizona, occurring only in the northeast portions of the state. Of these, the 5 ½ to 9 pound gray fox with its rust, black, and grizzled coloring and black longitudinally striped tail is by far the most common, occurring wherever there are mountains, wooded country, and broken terrain. There are three species of fox in Arizona – the red fox, kit fox, and gray fox.
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