Urocyon#Cozumel fox
{{Short description|Genus of carnivores}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|10.3|0}}{{Cite web|url=https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=41247|title=Fossilworks: Urocyon}}
| image = Urocyon.png
| image_caption = Gray and island fox
| display_parents = 2
| taxon = Urocyon
| authority = Baird, 1857Baird, S. 1857. Reports of explorations and surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. vol.8(1):121, 138. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/43075#page/175/mode/1up Vulpinae]
| type_species = Canis virginianus{{MSW3|id=14000840}}
| type_species_authority = Schreber, 1774{{cite book|doi=10.5962/bhl.title.67399|title=Die Säugthiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur, mit Beschreibungen|year=1774|last1=Schreber|first1=Johann Christian Daniel|last2=Goldfuss|first2=Georg August|last3=Wagner|first3=Andreas Johann|volume=3|page=361|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/135003#page/89/mode/1up}}(
The mammals in illustrations according to nature, with descriptions)
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = *U. cinereoargenteus (Schreber), 1774
- U. littoralis Baird, 1857
- † U. citrinus Tedford, Wang & Taylor (2009)
- † U. galushai Tedford, Wang & Taylor (2009)
- † U. minicephalus Martin, 1974
- † U. progressus Stevens, 1965
- † U. webbi Tedford, Wang & Taylor (2009)
}}
Urocyon (Greek: "tailed dog"[https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/83341#page/709/mode/1up Urocyon.]) is a genus of Canidae which includes the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) and the island fox (Urocyon littoralis). These two fox species are found in the Western Hemisphere. Whole genome sequencing indicates that Urocyon is the most basal genus of the living canids. Fossils of what is believed to be the ancestor of the gray fox, Urocyon progressus, have been found in Kansas and date to the Upper Pliocene, with some undescribed specimens dating even older.
Extant species
{{Species table |genus=Urocyon |authority-name= Baird |authority-year= 1857 |species-count=two|no-note=y|narrow-percent=75}}
{{Species table/row
|name= Gray fox|binomial=Urocyon cinereoargenteus
|image=File:Grey Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus).jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Schreber|authority-year= 1775 |authority-not-original=yes
|range= Southern half of North America from southern Canada to the northern part of South America (Venezuela and Colombia), excluding the mountains of northwestern United States
|range-image=File:Leefgebied grijze vos.JPG
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= LC
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}
{{Species table/row
|name= Island fox|binomial=Urocyon littoralis
|image=File:Urocyon littoralis (Island fox) FWS 001.jpg |image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Baird |authority-year= 1857 |authority-not-original=yes
|range= Channel Islands (off the coast of Southern California)
|range-image=File:Subspecies of island fox.png
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= NT
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies={{Collapsible list |expand=yes |title=Six subspecies |bullets=on
| U. l. littoralis (the nominate subspecies) of San Miguel Island,
| U. l. dickeyi of San Nicolas Island,
| U. l. catalinae of Santa Catalina Island,
| U. l. clementae of San Clemente Island,
| U. l. santacruzae of Santa Cruz Island, and
| U. l. santarosae of Santa Rosa Island.
}}
}}
{{Species table/end}}
File:Urocyon minicephalus FLMNH.jpg, Florida Museum of Natural History]]
Extinct species
| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;"| Species name ! scope="col" | Type specimen era and location |
| scope="row" | U. citrinus
| Tedford et al., 2009. Early Irvingtonian, Citrus County, Florida. |
|---|
| scope="row" | U. galushai
| Tedford et al., 2009. Late Blancan, San Simon Valley, Graham County, Arizona. |
| scope="row" | U. minicephalus
| Martin, 1974. Late Irvingtonian, Sumter County, Florida. |
| scope="row" | U. progressus
| Stevens, 1965. Early Blancan, Meade County, Kansas. A later review found that the material represents Urocyon, but because of its fragmentary nature cannot be diagnosed as to species. |
| scope="row" | U. webbi
|Tedford et al., 2009. Middle Hemphillian, Citrus County, Florida. |
Cozumel fox
The Cozumel fox is a critically endangered small gray fox found on the island of Cozumel, Mexico. The last reported sighting was in 2001, but surveys focusing on this species have not yet been carried out.{{cite journal |author1=Cuarón, Alfredo D. |author2=Martinez-Morales, Miguel Angel |author3=McFadden, Katherine W. |author4=Valenzuela, David |author5=Gompper, Matthew E. |name-list-style=amp | year = 2004 | title = The status of dwarf carnivores on Cozumel Island, Mexico | journal = Biodiversity and Conservation | volume = 13 | issue = 2 | pages = 317–331 | doi = 10.1023/B:BIOC.0000006501.80472.cc|citeseerx=10.1.1.511.2040 |s2cid=25730672 }} In September 2023, a live Cozumel fox was rescued from a road and subsequently released.{{Cite web |last=Maya |first=Riviera |date=2023-09-18 |title=Rarely seen gray fox rescued 'disoriented' from Cozumel highway |url=https://riviera-maya-news.com/rarely-seen-gray-fox-rescued-disoriented-from-cozumel-highway/2023.html?cn-reloaded=1 |access-date=2024-12-09 |website=Riviera Maya News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Wilkinson |first=Laura |date=2023-09-21 |title=Cozumel Wildlife Grey Fox - Cozumel 4 You |url=https://www.cozumel4you.com/cozumel-wildlife-grey-fox/ |access-date=2024-12-09 |language=en}}
The Cozumel fox has not been scientifically described, but is a dwarf form as is the island fox, but is slightly larger than the island fox, being up to three-quarters the size of the gray fox. No skins or complete skulls of the Cozumel fox exist in any museum exhibitions, so scientists have mainly examined sub-fossils collected during archaeological excavations of Mayan civilizations who inhabited the island about 1,500–500 years ago. Upon evaluating bones from about 12 adult individuals, scientists have concluded that the Cozumel fox is extremely small – approximately 60-80% the body size of other mainland specimens.{{cite journal |last1=Gompper |first1=M.E. |last2=Petrites |first2=A.E. |last3=Lyman |first3=R.L. |date=2006 |title=Cozumel Island fox (Urocyon sp.) dwarfism and possible divergence history based on subfossil bones |journal=Journal of Zoology |language=en |volume=270 |issue=1 |pages=72–77 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00119.x |issn=1469-7998 |url=https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00119.x}}
The fox had been isolated on the island of Cozumel for at least 5,000 years, and probably far longer. This would indicate that Urocyon had colonized the island before the first arrival of humans there.
References
{{Reflist|refs=
{{cite journal |author1=Prevosti, F.J. |author2=Rincóon, A.D. |year=2007 |title=A new fossil canid assemblage from the late Pleistocene of northern South America: The canids of the Inciarte asphalt pit (Zulia, Venezuela), fossil record and biogeography |journal=J. Paleontol. |volume=81 |issue=5 |pages=1053–1065 |doi=10.1666/pleo05-143.1|s2cid=131259363 |hdl=11336/242701 |hdl-access=free }}
{{cite journal |last1=Tedford |first1=Richard H. |author-link1=Richard H. Tedford |last2=Wang |first2=Xiaoming |author-link2=Xiaoming Wang (paleontologist) |last3=Taylor |first3=Beryl E. |year=2009 |title=Phylogenetic systematics of the North American fossil Caninae (Carnivora: Canidae) |volume=325 |pages=1–218 |journal=Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History |hdl=2246/5999 |doi=10.1206/574.1 |s2cid=83594819 |url=http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/bitstream/2246/5999/1/B325.pdf}}
{{MSW3 Carnivora |id=14000840 |pages=582–583}}
}}
{{Carnivora|Ca.}}
{{Canidae extinct nav|C.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q738191}}
{{Authority control}}