NMS Pictures
The NMS critter cam pictures are on schoology. The link below will require you to log into your schoology account.
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Confusing Canids: Differentiating Red Foxes, Grey Foxes, and Coyotes
(Adapted from Stephanie Schuttler)
A recent study from eMammal found that citizen science volunteers are really good at identifying North American mammals from camera trap photos, with over 90% of the identifications correct. However, there are three species where people routinely get stumped, the canids, or members of the dog family. These include the red fox, grey fox, and coyote. It’s easy to see where people get confused as these species can look very similar at a glance.
Red foxes have black leg, black-tipped ears (seen on the backsides), a white-tipped tail and a more dog-like face.
Grey foxes have a black tipped tail and what I like to call a black “racing stripe” down its back. The grey fox also has a more cat-like face than either the red fox or the coyote.
Coyotes have varied coloration, but is typically grey, brown or black, a very dog-like face and a long and fluffy tail. It has much longer limbs, ears and snout, making it larger and taller than either fox.
Bodies from left to right: Red fox has black legs and a white tail tip, grey fox has black back stripe, and coyote is larger and taller.
(Adapted from Stephanie Schuttler)
A recent study from eMammal found that citizen science volunteers are really good at identifying North American mammals from camera trap photos, with over 90% of the identifications correct. However, there are three species where people routinely get stumped, the canids, or members of the dog family. These include the red fox, grey fox, and coyote. It’s easy to see where people get confused as these species can look very similar at a glance.
Red foxes have black leg, black-tipped ears (seen on the backsides), a white-tipped tail and a more dog-like face.
Grey foxes have a black tipped tail and what I like to call a black “racing stripe” down its back. The grey fox also has a more cat-like face than either the red fox or the coyote.
Coyotes have varied coloration, but is typically grey, brown or black, a very dog-like face and a long and fluffy tail. It has much longer limbs, ears and snout, making it larger and taller than either fox.
Bodies from left to right: Red fox has black legs and a white tail tip, grey fox has black back stripe, and coyote is larger and taller.
TIME TO PRACTICE
Now that you have the knowledge you need to separate the red fox, grey fox and coyote, do you think you can spot the differences? Test it out on the photos below. Check your answers at the bottom of the blog post.
https://emammal.si.edu/north-carolinas-candid-critters/blog/confusing-canids-differentiating-red-foxes-grey-foxes-and
CCPS Schoolyard Biodiversity Blog https://calvertbiodiversityblog.weebly.com/schoolyard-biodiversity.html
Now that you have the knowledge you need to separate the red fox, grey fox and coyote, do you think you can spot the differences? Test it out on the photos below. Check your answers at the bottom of the blog post.
https://emammal.si.edu/north-carolinas-candid-critters/blog/confusing-canids-differentiating-red-foxes-grey-foxes-and
CCPS Schoolyard Biodiversity Blog https://calvertbiodiversityblog.weebly.com/schoolyard-biodiversity.html