Hello, Adventurers! Welcome back to the Coastal Expeditions blog! If this is your first time visiting our blog, we’re happy to have you here. We are all about nature, adventure, and making the most out of the beautiful outdoors of South Carolina. If you enjoy all things hiking, paddling, kayaking, and spending time outdoors, you’ve come to the right place! Here on the blog, we dive deep into different habitats, excursions, conservation efforts, and nature programs. Our site is filled with interactive maps, destination guides, and educational resources. Since the weather is getting warmer, we want to help you get out there and take advantage of all that the Lowcountry has to offer! We offer guided tours of the beautiful Lowcountry by kayak, paddleboard, ferry, boat, and private charter. We also have hands-on workshops taught by highly-trained guides on wilderness skills, birding, identifying native plants, sustainability, and camping. Basically, anything you want to learn about, we teach! If you haven’t already, we encourage you to take a look around our site to learn more about our offerings. In our last post, we discussed some of our furry friends in the Lowcountry: River otters! Today, we’ll be continuing in this direction by talking about foxes found in the Palmetto State! These beautiful and mysterious critters are found statewide and are essential for our ecosystem. If you’re interested in learning more, you’re in the right place. Let’s get started!

There are two species of foxes found in South Carolina: The red fox and the gray fox. Foxes are small to medium-sized mammals belonging to the dog family, called Canidae. They have bushy tails, pointed ears, and narrow snouts. They have excellent hearing and sense of smell and utilize these senses to locate prey. Throughout history, these nocturnal mammals have been a symbol of intelligence, mischief, and trickery, and have been described as sly or cunning. They have been an integral figure in the folklore and mythology of many different cultures. They can be found in many forms of popular culture and media, including literature, film, television, and games. 

Foxes live on every continent except for Antarctica, and the most common species is the red fox, whose scientific name is Vulpes vulpes. The red fox has the largest distribution of any land mammal except for humans! You may be surprised to find out that the red fox is not native to South Carolina. They were introduced during the late 1600s from New England and Europe. The color of the red fox ranges from pale orange to a deep cherry red. They have a long coat of thick fur with a softer and finer coat on their underside. The fur under its neck and on its chest is usually white. Their legs are black and their bushy tail has a white tip. The red fox stands at about 16 inches and weighs about 8 to 13 pounds. The average lifespan of a red fox in the wild is 3 to 4 years, although the oldest red fox on record in South Carolina was 9 years old! In captivity, the red fox can live 10 to 12 years. 

When it comes to habitat, the red fox generally remains in the same area for life. They favor mixed landscapes, such as open areas with small woodlots and hedgerows. They often make their homes along the edge of forests or near marshes. Other than breeding females, red foxes do not typically use dens. They may, however, occasionally use underground dens for escape and resting, but will sometimes sleep out in the open. Instead of making their own den for these purposes, they often use abandoned rabbit dens. Breeding females will prepare multiple dens directly after mating. These dens may be underground, within a cave, among rocks, or in a hollow tree or log. They will either dig their own dens or modify abandoned dens from other mammals. The red fox’s underground den can be as long as 75 feet! Sometimes, two pairs of red foxes will share a den and the same den may be reused over multiple generations. The young foxes, known as pups or kits, stay in the den for 4 to 5 weeks while both the male and female foxes cooperate to care for the offspring. Pups will remain with their parents until the fall of the year they were born, but sometimes stay longer. 

The gray fox, whose scientific name is Urocyon cineroargenteus, has gray fur with rust-colored areas under the throat, on the sides of the neck, and on the legs. The species name cinereoargenteus means “ashen silver”. Their tail has a black tip, helping distinguish them from the red fox. Another distinguishing feature is that the gray fox has oval-shaped pupils, rather than the slit-like pupils of the red fox. The gray fox was once the most common fox in the Eastern United States, but human development and deforestation has caused the population to decline. However, they are not endangered, and in South Carolina, they actually outnumber the red fox by more than three to one. The gray fox is still prevalent throughout much of the United States and has some of the highest densities in the Palmetto State. They are a bit smaller than the red fox, standing at about 15 inches and weighing anywhere from 7 to 10 pounds. The lifespan of a gray fox in the wild is generally about 6 years, but they can live up to 15 years in captivity. 

Gray foxes prefer wooded and mixed wooden and open areas for their habitat. They benefit from edge habitats, where the forest meets fields or roadways. They are active both day and night, but are seldom seen during the day. The gray fox stays within its home range of rocky and bushy areas. They build dens in hollow trees or logs, as well as under debris or brush. Their mating and reproduction habits are nearly identical to that of the red fox, with the young remaining with its parents for a couple of months. 

A unique feature of gray foxes is that they are capable of climbing. In fact, they are reported to be the only member of the dog family that can climb. Gray foxes have rotating wrists and semi-retractable claws that help them to climb trees in order to den, forage, or escape from predators. Because of this, they are sometimes called the “tree fox”.

Both the red fox and gray fox have similar diets, and those diets are extremely diverse. They feed on rabbits, mice, birds, and insects. They aren’t strictly carnivorous, though– They are actually omnivores as well, eating berries and fruit. Foxes are opportunistic when it comes to food, meaning that they will take any acceptable food that is available to them and can adjust their diet based on this. They are very quick and skillful hunters, able to capture rabbits and sneak up on birds– No wonder why they are associated with being sly! It is estimated that foxes eat between 1 and 2 pounds of food per day. 

Foxes play an important role in our ecosystem as well, as they help control populations of their prey animals, such as rodents and rabbits. By eating fruit, they can disperse seeds, helping new plants grow. They are also known as an indicator species, which means that they can be used to infer the conditions of a habitat. If foxes are present, the area is deemed to be functioning at satisfactory levels. 

As you can see, foxes are beautiful and fascinating creatures. We encourage you to do more research on them! We also want to take this time to remind you that if you happen to spot a fox, or any other type of wildlife, in your backyard or out on the trails, please be respectful and keep a safe distance. We hope that you found this article informative and helpful. As always, we thank you for reading and we hope to see you back on our blog soon! If you have any questions about our other guided tours, reach out to us! At Coastal Expeditions, we are committed to introducing people to the wonders of the ecosystems of the Charleston area by providing guided tours and educational opportunities. If you’re looking to explore all that the Lowcountry has to offer, check out our offerings on our website to find the adventure which suits you best! We also offer kid-friendly tours as well as kids programs, camps, and kayak lessons. Our tours are led by knowledgeable, approachable naturalists and sea captains who are eager to answer your questions! Until next time, readers. Get out there and explore! Adventure awaits!