Playful Gray Foxes

I have two lab aides this semester who will help with the day to day tasks involved in our T.A. Squirrel Project research. Brandon and Ian both completed Maine Fish and Wildlife last year. They are each reliable and possess a high level of interest in wildlife biology and the Maine outdoors, making them perfect candidates to invite back. Part of their work throughout the semester will be to operate the class trail cameras around the T.A. forest. They have each been assigned a camera with the goal of capturing interesting photos and video of our campus wildlife. This task is easier said than done. Regularly catching wildlife on a remote camera requires a thorough understanding of the creatures you are trying to document, the ability to read wildlife signs, and a little bit of luck. Both Ian and Brandon have had success already with their cameras.

Brandon set his camera over a dried up vernal pool in the vicinity of the one highlighted in my previous post. Over the weekend, the camera captured some interesting play behavior from some gray foxes cruising through the dry pool. These foxes appear to be mature adults and are most likely a mated pair. When thinking of wildlife engaging in play behaviors, we often assume that only young creatures play. In reality, play can be an important social interaction for creatures of all ages. The form of play shown in the video is certainly helping the foxes practice movements used while hunting but is also undoubtedly serving to strengthen the social bond between these two individuals.