The gray fox is a peppery gray on top, reddish-brown on its sides, chest and the back of its head. Its legs and feet are also a reddish color. It has a long bushy tail with a black stripe on top. The gray fox has pointed ears, a pointed muzzle and long hooked claws. The gray fox can be found from southern Canada to northern Columbia and Venezuela. It is not found in some mountainous parts of the Northwest United States and in the Great Plains.

The gray fox lives in a wide variety of habitats but prefers areas with lots of brush or woods. The gray fox is a solitary hunter and eats a wide-variety of foods. A large part of its diet is made up of small mammals like mice, voles and eastern cottontail rabbits. It also eats birds; insects; and plants like corn, apples, nuts, berries and grass. In the summer and autumn, grasshoppers and crickets are an important part of its diet.