There are several wildlife members of the Canidae or Canine family that call the Southwest home. The most notable member is the coyote, better known as the “Song Dog of the Southwest”. These wily carnivores are a commonly encountered species whether by sight or sound, and a coyote’s yipping or drawn-out howl before dawn or after sunset is one of those classic Southwestern sounds.

Found from lowland grasslands to high elevations, coyotes may be found in every habitat in Canyon Country. Widespread and successful, coyotes have unfortunately been persecuted relentlessly by humans for decades but they continue to be successful in their existence.

As predators, coyotes select from a long list of prey species including rabbits, hares, small rodents, birds and bird eggs, insects, berries, fruit, young ungulates, and even domestic animals. They are opportunistic meaning they won’t pass up carrion, an amphibian, or an unfortunate reptile. They are solo hunters or may hunt in groups with family members. Intelligent creatures, coyotes have also been known to take advantage of locating carrion by following crows and ravens, or to take advantage of a rodent slipping past a hunting badger.

Coyotes have long-pointed snouts, gray to buffy colored fur, and a long bushy tail that may show a black tip. When running, the tail points downward which is in contrast to a wolf’s tail which points straight behind them. Some large coyotes may be mistaken for a wolf; wolves are protected by the Endangered Species Act throughout most of Utah.

In addition to coyotes and the occasional dispersing wolf, three different species of foxes also occur in southern Utah rounding out the Canid family. The kit, red, and gray fox are different species with unique traits.

Kit foxes den in underground burrows often in grasslands or shrublands where vegetated dunes make for easy excavating. Entrances higher than wide preclude coyotes from entering them, and often when a den is located, a quiet observer can watch some fun family antics as the kits and adults loaf or interact with each other at these sites.

Kit foxes are much smaller than coyotes, more like the size of a housecat. They have large, pointed ears and a long, black-tipped tail that is about one-third their body length. Most sightings of these secretive creatures occur at night as the foxes shuttle across a roadway illuminated by a car’s headlights. These foxes feast on small rodents, rabbits, snakes, birds, and insects; during my summer night patrols at Arches NP, I’d see kit foxes scuttling across the road with a dead gopher or rattlesnake clamped in its mouth. They are also attracted to food scraps in campgrounds, so remember to keep a clean camp.

In contrast to the burrowing kit fox, gray foxes are a bit larger and may retreat up a tree to avoid predators. Excellent climbers, these foxes may use a tree hollow for a den site or an abandoned hawk’s nest for a nap spot. The grays do den in boulder-strewn areas or even in mineshafts. Mainly nocturnal, you’re best to look up in trees for them during the day to see one.

With a salt-and-pepper grayish fur and a reddish underbelly, these long-tailed foxes have black markings on either side of their muzzle. Highly omnivorous, gray foxes prey on rodents, lizards, small mammals, large insects, grasshoppers, and consume nuts and berries. Finding a pile of the scat atop some rock indicates that they are marking their territory.

Red foxes are well named for their reddish fur and long, white-tipped tail. Long-legged, these foxes are wait-and-ambush types of predators. They use stealth and speed to snag prey such as rodents, small mammals, and birds. with berries, fruits, and invertebrates rounding out their diets.

Red foxes den underground or beneath brush piles, digging a hole themselves or expanding an abandoned badger’s hole. At home in urban landscapes, as well as the wilds, these foxes are not common but may be seen or heard during the day. These creatures have a repertoire of barks, whines, screams, and other sounds confusing them for their domestic relative: the dog.

So, keep an eye out and an ear open for these Canyon Country canids as you explore this howlingly beautiful redrock landscape.