Both red and gray foxes are found throughout Pennsylvania. Foxes look like they are heavier than these weights, an impression created by their full, thick fur. The gray fox has a grizzled gray coat, somewhat coarser than the red's, with buff-colored underfur. The gray's tail is also long and bushy, with a black streak running down its length and a black tip. Dramatic color variations may occur in individual reds, although these are rare and show up more often in the species' northern range, especially in Canada.
Foxes are swift runners and can swim if they have to.
Both reds and grays are mainly nocturnal. This means they will eat whatever is most easily obtained. Foods include mice, rats, rabbits, woodchucks, opossums, porcupines, domestic cats, chickens, insects, squirrels, game birds, songbirds, bird eggs, fruits and grasses. Foxes are also scavengers, feeding on road-killed animals and winter kills. Diets of both reds and grays are essentially the same, but different food preferences, behavior patterns and preferred habitat often result in different types and amounts of food eaten.