Head to head
Gray Fox vs Red Fox
The gray fox and red fox often share the same landscapes across North America, but one has specialised for wooded cover while the other has become the single most widely distributed wild carnivore species on the planet.
| Gray Fox | Red Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Urocyon cinereoargenteus | Vulpes vulpes |
| Tree-climbing ability | Yes, one of the few climbing canids | No |
| Tail tip colour | Black | White |
| Global distribution | Limited to the Americas | Widest of any wild carnivore |
| Preferred habitat | Forest and brushy cover | Extremely broad, including cities and desert |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Population trend | Stable | Stable |
| Diet | Omnivore | Omnivore |
Gray Fox vs Red Fox: common questions
What is the main difference between a gray fox and a red fox?
The clearest difference is climbing ability and tail colour: the gray fox is one of the only canids in the world capable of true tree climbing and has a black-tipped tail, while the red fox cannot climb trees, typically has a white-tipped tail, and holds a vastly wider global distribution.
Why can the gray fox climb trees when the red fox cannot?
The gray fox has semi-retractable claws and a rotating wrist that allow it to grip and ascend tree trunks, a specialised adaptation the red fox's anatomy simply does not include, making the gray fox one of the very few members of the dog family anywhere capable of genuine tree climbing.
Which fox has the wider range?
The red fox has by far the wider range, holding the widest natural distribution of any wild carnivore across almost the entire Northern Hemisphere and introduced populations in Australia, while the gray fox is confined to forest and brushy habitat across the Americas alone.