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/>{{failed verification|date=November 2024}} 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}}

==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 or extinct 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>

The Cozumel fox has not been scientifically described, but is a [[Insular dwarfism|dwarf]] form as is the island fox, but 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 Mayan civilizations who inhabited the island about 1,500–500&nbsp;years ago. Upon evaluating bones from about 12&nbsp;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}}</ref>

The fox had been isolated on the island of Cozumel for at least 5,000&nbsp;years, and probably far longer. This 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.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q738191}}
{{Authority control}}

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


{{canid-stub}}