Gray foxes average three to four feet long, including the tail, and weigh 7 to 13 pounds. Their basic color is grizzled gray with a distinctive black streak along the top to the black tip of the tail. They are rusty yellowish on the feet, legs, sides, neck, and back of the ears. They prefer chaparral and open forests and den in hollow logs, beneath boulders, or, sometimes, in ground burrows. They are often seen in areas that are seemingly well populated by humans due to the ever present crush of progress.
Gray foxes are omnivorous, eating small mammals, insects, fruits, birds, eggs, and carrion.
They will not harm a domestic adult cat or small dog. They are timid, elusive, and primarily nocturnal. They are the only true tree-climbers among canids, climbing to sun themselves or to escape predators. They can scale just about any kind of fencing, climb trees, telephone poles, etc. They are sometimes seen on rooftops of houses and buildings.