Fox or coyote??

[Zuma]

At first I thought I was seeing a puma.
But no, gray fox or ??
It's mangee as all get out. Any good ID?
Zuma

[Stixnstones]

Jackal?😜

[tattoo dave]

I would say fox. It looks kinda short for a coyote, could be wrong though.

Tattoo Dave

[Trapper Rob]

Looks like a red fox to me.

[BowEd]

Ditto....Red fox.

[JEB]

Grey fox. I have three of them stuffed and in my family room.

[Chippintuff]

The ears make me think red fox, but the tail is too thin. Maybe the mange ate the hair off the tail. I shot one like that when I was a kid. From a distance it looked like a pretty fox. When I walked up to it, there was very little hair on it, and it looked pathetic. I never would have shot it if it had stayed off that hen.

WA

[Zuma]

Thanks fellas
I have seen foxes here for 30 years.
They were healthy and elusive up
untill the coyotes arrived. Although
I have not for sure seen a coyote.
I have an extensive view too.
I was just wondering if I was
missing something. This mange
seem out of control.
The third pic shows the mange.
Yep, Chip the tail is hairless.
Zuma

[Zuma]

I found an email address for a great person at the Virginia Wildlife group.
She was very helpful and knowledgeable. She explained the mange.

PARA PHRASE-- Mange is extremely common in red fox, and coyotes are also quite susceptible to it.  Red fox in particular do not seem to have the ability to build up an immune response to the mites.  Mange has a higher occurrence in dense populations of animals and in urban areas.  Some of these affected animals can beat mange but it can take months.  A large number of them succumb to it due to secondary infections and exposure.  We do not recommend treating wild animals for this condition, as any treatment that just kills the mites, does not address the poor diet and weakened immune system.  As soon as these animals come into contact with the mites again, they will start the same cycle.  Options are to allow nature to run its course, or you can dispatch them. Something I didn't know-- As a landowner on your own property, you do not need a permit or license to kill either a fox or coyote.

I then sent some pics.  The reply was something like this--
It's hard to tell based soley on these photos, but with the black tip to ears and knowledge that gray fox for some reason are not as susceptible to mange – I will say with relative confidence this is a red fox.  Thanks for sharing your photos!
Zuma