White tail tips are a diagnostic feature of a red fox, but very, very rarely a gray fox will have one.
The diagnostic feature of a gray fox, which no other canid in the United States or Canada will have, is the black stripe that runs down the tail. That’s actually a hackle that can be raised when the fox is aroused.
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Scottie, about 5 or 10% of the red foxes up here have “black” tips on their tails. The percentage may not actually be that high, but the ones that do stand out in one’s mind, so it seems like that number.
Cool. I’ve never seen one without a white tail tip, even if it’s just a few white hairs.
This photo is completely and utterly heartbreaking!!!!! This rare fox was trapped and sold to a taxidermist…. I looked it up! How could anyone take the life of such a rare animal in such a PUSSIFIED way is disgusting and thoughtless! Trapping has hardly any skill involved! This isn’t tracking or hunting with a gun or a bow, this is luring hungry animals into a trap…. Hell, anyone can do it… This takes absolutely no skill whatsoever. I would know, everyone around my area hunts…. I do not partake in hunting defenseless animals.
Thank you!