View source for Urocyon

{{Short description|Genus of carnivores}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Automatic taxobox 
| name = ''Urocyon''<ref name=Wozencraft2005/>
| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|10.3|0}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=41247|title=Fossilworks: Urocyon}}</ref>
| image = Urocyon.png
| image_caption = [[Gray fox|Gray]] and [[island fox]]
| display_parents = 2
| taxon = Urocyon
| authority = [[Spencer Fullerton Baird|Baird]], 1857<ref>Baird, 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]</ref>
| type_species = ''[[Urocyon cinereoargenteus|Canis virginianus]]''<ref>{{MSW3|id=14000840}}</ref>
| type_species_authority = [[Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber|Schreber]], 1774<ref>{{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)</ref>
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = *''[[Urocyon cinereoargenteus|U. cinereoargenteus]]'' <small>([[Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber|Schreber]]), 1774</small>
*''[[Urocyon littoralis|U. littoralis]]'' <small>[[Spencer Fullerton Baird|Baird]], 1857</small>
*† ''U. citrinus'' <small>Tedford, Wang & Taylor (2009)</small><ref name=Tedford2009/>
*† ''U. galushai'' <small>Tedford, Wang & Taylor (2009)</small><ref name=Tedford2009/>
*† ''U. minicephalus'' <small>Martin, 1974</small>
*† ''U. progressus'' <small>Stevens, 1965</small>
*† ''U. webbi'' <small>Tedford, Wang & Taylor (2009)</small><ref name=Tedford2009/>
}}

'''''Urocyon''''' (Greek: "tailed dog"<ref>[https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/83341#page/709/mode/1up Urocyon.]</ref>) is a [[genus]] of [[Canidae]] which includes the [[gray fox]] (''Urocyon cinereoargenteus'') and the [[island fox]] (''Urocyon littoralis'').<ref name=Wozencraft2005/> These two fox species are found in the Western Hemisphere. [[Whole genome sequencing]] indicates that ''Urocyon'' is the most [[Basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] genus of the living canids.<ref name=Lindblad-Toh2005/> 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]],<ref name=Stevens1965/> with some undescribed specimens dating even older.<ref name=PrevostiRincón2007/>

==Extant species==
{{Species table |genus=Urocyon |authority-name= [[Spencer Fullerton Baird|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, California|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, California|Santa Rosa Island]].
}}
}}

{{Species table/end}}
[[File:Urocyon minicephalus FLMNH.jpg|thumb|Skull cast of ''[[Urocyon minicephalus|U. minicephalus]]'', [[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<ref name=Tedford2009/>
|-
! 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.<ref name=Tedford2009/>
|-
! 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.<ref>{{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 }}</ref> In September 2023, a live Cozumel fox was rescued from a road and subsequently released.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>

The Cozumel fox has not been scientifically described, but is a [[Insular dwarfism|dwarf]] form, like the island fox. Compared to the island fox, however, it is slightly larger, 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 [[Maya civilization|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.<ref name=Gompper-Petrites-Lyman-2006>{{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|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The fox had been isolated on Cozumel for at least 5,000 years, and probably far longer. These dates would indicate that ''Urocyon'' had colonized the island before the first arrival of humans there.<ref name=Gompper-Petrites-Lyman-2006/>

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name=Lindblad-Toh2005>{{cite journal |doi=10.1038/nature04338 |pmid=16341006 |title=Genome sequence, comparative analysis and haplotype structure of the domestic dog |journal=Nature |volume=438 |issue=7069 |pages=803–819 |year=2005 |last1=Lindblad-Toh |first1=K. |last2=Wade |first2=C.M. |last3=Mikkelsen |first3=T.S. |last4=Karlsson |first4=E.K. |last5=Jaffe |first5=D.B. |last6=Kamal |first6=M. |last7=Clamp |first7=M. |last8=Chang |first8=J.L. |last9=Kulbokas |first9=E.J. |last10=Zody |first10=M.C. |last11=Mauceli |first11=E. |last12=Xie |first12=X. |last13=Breen |first13=M. |last14=Wayne |first14=R.K. |last15=Ostrander |first15=E.A. |last16=Ponting |first16=C.P. |last17=Galibert |first17=F. |last18=Smith |first18=D.R. |last19=Dejong |first19=P.J. |last20=Kirkness |first20=E. |last21=Alvarez |first21=P. |last22=Biagi |first22=T. |last23=Brockman |first23=W. |last24=Butler |first24=J. |last25=Chin |first25=C.-W. |last26=Cook |first26=A. |last27=Cuff |first27=J. |last28=Daly |first28=M.J. |last29=Decaprio |first29=D. |last30=Gnerre |first30=S. |display-authors=6 |bibcode=2005Natur.438..803L |doi-access=free}}</ref>

<ref name=PrevostiRincón2007>{{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=[[Journal of Paleontology|J. Paleontol.]] |volume=81 |issue=5 |pages=1053–1065 |doi=10.1666/pleo05-143.1|s2cid=131259363 |hdl=11336/242701 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

<ref name=Stevens1965>{{cite journal |last1=Stevens |first1=M.S. |year=1965 |title=A new species of ''Urocyon'' from the Upper Pliocene of Kansas |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=46 |issue=2 |pages=265–269 |doi=10.2307/1377846|jstor=1377846 }}</ref>

<ref name=Tedford2009>{{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}}</ref>

<ref name=Wozencraft2005>{{MSW3 Carnivora |id=14000840 |pages=582–583}}</ref>
}}

{{Carnivora|Ca.}}
{{Canidae extinct nav|C.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q738191}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Foxes]]
[[Category:Carnivoran genera]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Spencer Fullerton Baird]]