Urocyon


Urocyon is a genus of Canidae which includes the gray fox and the island fox. 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

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. The Cozumel fox has not been scientifically described, is a dwarf form as is the island fox, but slightly larger being up to three-quarters the size of the gray fox. It had been isolated on the island for at least 5,000 years, and probably far longer. This would indicate that the colonization of the island of Cozumel by Urocyon predates that of humans.

Extinct species