Urocyon cinereoargenteus

GRAY FOX Zorra (S) Ch’amak (M)

Identification: Measuring 80-120 cm in length, the gray fox weighs 3-7 kg. Its reddish- to gray-colored coat has a black stripe down the back and an off-white underside. The bushy black tail measures one-third to one-half of its body length. It barks a choked, dry yelp (Fritzell and Haroldson 1982).

Habitat: they live in many habitats—from tropical wet forest and wooded savanna forest to brushland; their preference is for areas with both forested and open spaces.

Range: Gray foxes range from southern Canada down to northern South America (Fritzell and Haroldson 1982).

Similar species: The only true rain forest dogs, the short-eared dogs (Atelocynus microtis) and the busy dog (Speothos venaticus) are found in South America (Emmons 1997).

THIS ESSAY is as much about the canines and the Maya as it is about the gray fox. In general (mainly to limit the book’s scope), I have written only about wild species; however, dogs were so pervasive in ancient Maya life that something must be said about them. New genetic evidence suggests that dogs have probably played the role of companion to humans for 100,000 years, if not longer. Domesticated dogs descended from wolves and were probably not selectively bred for guarding, hunting, and herding until nomads settled into a farming lifestyle (Mlot 1997).

The ancient Maya were not different than many burgeoning cultures: the people lived alongside dogs, or pek in Mayan, using them for various purposes. They appeared to have two main types of dogs: a short-haired dog and a hairless dog. These two species were pervasive and were used to chase deer during hunts, fattened for food, and sacrificed in burials (Pohl 1990); a type of dog with black and white spots appears repeatedly in the codices in connection with blood sacrifice (Pohl 1982). Remnants of dog bones were often found in connection with the sacred, and in Postclassic Conzumel burials, a high percentage of the canine bones discovered belonged to puppies (Pohl 1983).

In ancient Maya art the eye of a dog often held an akbal, a symbol for death or night (Tozzer and Allen 1910); Tozzer said dogs were the companions of the dead, guiding spirits from life into the Otherworld. Bishop Landa reported that as a year ended and a new year’s ceremonies were held, old women danced a dance with small dogs made from clay. Atop the dogs’ backs were loaves of bread (Pohl 1983). Dogs in the codices were also drawn with kan signs on their bodies, a symbol for corn or bread.

Foxes are denizens of the night. They pad through their territory, preferring the bright light of a full or waxing moon, and hunt whatever is available: mice, mammals, eggs, and insects as well as seeds, plants, and fruit. Like domesticated dogs, foxes mark their territories by leaving urine or scat near logs, large rocks, or other prominent landmarks.

During the day foxes may be seen as they skirt along the edges of clearings or as they climb through the rubble of crumbling ruins. In the crevices of debris or ancient drainage openings, foxes eke out small dens. They may also adopt an abandoned animal hollow, dig their own burrow in loose soil, or find a nook in the branches of a tree. Foxes climb trees by grasping the tree’s trunk between their forepaws and scooting up the shaft—as one might guess, this is an unusual trait among the canids. Once in the branches of the tree, gray foxes climb and hop form limb to limb, using their tails for balance. Sometimes from branches as high as 76 m foxes scout the area, peruse their territory, and forage fleshy fruits. So if you think you hare a monkey overhead, look again.

Males and females mate any time from mid-January to May, but predominately in March, at the height of the dry season. After carrying her young for 53-63 days the female births, come June or so, litters of one to seven young in her leaf- or grass-lined den. Parents care for the young for the next 1.5 to 3 months, and all live in one range until the following breeding season. At this time the juveniles leave in search of their own territories (Tropp and Hallberg 1975).

Most females become pregnant in their first year of life. Although some foxes have been reported to live for fourteen or fifteen years, 70 percent are killed within the first two years of life by predators, such as raptors or large cats, environmental elements, or disease. Young pregnancies and yearly litters keep the population of foxes in balance with their short life cycle (Fritzell and Haroldson 1982).