Common Gray Fox

Reproduction

Home Range

Predatory Behavior

Mortality

Management

Literature Cited

Natural Predators and Sources of Mortality

The gray fox does not really have any natural predators.  Coyotes and wolves will kill them but this is because of territory and/or competition between them.  Bobcats will even do away with one for the same reasons.  Rabies and distemper are the most common causes of  gray fox deaths (Whitaker 1996).  Unlike the red fox, gray foxes are highly resistant to infestation by sarcoptic mange mites.  However they are host to many fleas, lice, ticks, and chiggers (Fritzell and Haroldson 1982).  Diseases known to infect gray foxes include rabies, canine distemper, tularemia, listeriosis, and toxoplasmosis (Fritzell and Haroldson 1982).