# What is this animal that visited my front porch at 3:30 AM today? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 25, 2022, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746 "2022-10-25T09:31:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746/1 "2022-10-25T09:31:35Z")
I regularly have possums, raccoons, and the occasional skunk. First time I’ve seen one of these. What is it? Here is the imgur **[LINK](https://i.imgur.com/tCjvClE.mp4)** if video doesn’t show up below on your device. [https://i.imgur.com/tCjvClE.mp4](https://i.imgur.com/tCjvClE.mp4) ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746/2 "2022-10-25T09:32:54Z")
That is a fox, innit? mmm ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746/3 "2022-10-25T09:34:27Z")
That’s kind of what I thought. I’ve NEVER seen one around here. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746/4 "2022-10-25T09:47:07Z")
A gray fox, I’d say. The black-topped tail is a giveaway. ---
**Author:** ![cincinnatus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cincinnatus/32/7990_2.png) [@cincinnatus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cincinnatus)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746/5 "2022-10-25T09:47:37Z")
At my place when I see fox, bunnies usually not around If I see bunnies, fox are somewhere else. Nice-looking fox you have thee. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746/6 "2022-10-25T10:15:39Z")
They are apparently pretty common in Texas cities, but I have never seen one. Entirely nocturnal, shy. That’s awesome for you. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746/7 "2022-10-25T10:28:23Z")
Almost certainly a gray fox, and I don’t blame you for not recognizing the species. They’re not as common anymore as the red fox (_Vulpes vulpes),_ and in fact, they’re not even members of the _Vulpes_ genus! They’re _Urocyon cinereoargenteus_, and they have oval, instead of slit-like pupils as the _Vulpes_ foxes do. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746/8 "2022-10-25T10:52:50Z")
Urban foxes are increasingly common over here. There are plenty of squirrels, pigeons and rats, and patches of untended land they can burrow into. It’s quite common to see rubbish scattered around dustbins and litter bins - and that’s usually a sign of a fox scavenging for leftover food. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746/9 "2022-10-25T12:20:20Z")
“Just checking in on whether the Halloween candy is there yet…” ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746/10 "2022-10-25T12:31:16Z")
Yep, gray fox. Cute li’l guy. [![](https://i0.wp.com/ovlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Gray-Fox1.jpg?ssl=1) ](https://i0.wp.com/ovlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Gray-Fox1.jpg?ssl=1) Obligatory cute fox video: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/cFqLEwAvaHI/maxresdefault.jpg "Finnegan Fox chats while being scratched") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFqLEwAvaHI) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746/11 "2022-10-25T12:33:55Z")
Oh wow. He definitely is gorgeous. I hope there aren’t a family of them around… ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746/12 "2022-10-25T13:34:45Z")
We have foxes around the place; no rabbits, which may be a related phenomenon. Last year Mrs. J. was walking Pluto when a fox came out of the barn, saw her, _screamed_ and ran back in. I think they were nesting in there. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746/13 "2022-10-25T15:32:34Z")
I heard a grey fox outside our house once – which elicits a “WTF was _that_??” response. A weird combination of scream, howl, cough, bark. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746/14 "2022-10-25T16:04:13Z")
My in-laws have a family (or did anyway) that lives in their backyard in central Austin. We were a little bit shocked at that. In my part of Dallas, I haven’t heard of foxes yet, but I have seen the occasional coyote that gets out of the creek bottoms and starts nosing around neighborhoods. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746/15 "2022-10-25T17:24:46Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > A weird combination of scream, howl, cough, bark. The mating season is particularly noisy round here. And in TV dramas with a scene set in the woods, a fox’s mating call/scream/bark is a regular signifier of sinister doings to come. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746/16 "2022-10-25T17:34:14Z")
Finnegan the Fox is just irresistibly cute! Thanks for posting. Gotta love the laughing/giggling as he gets tickled! ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746/17 "2022-10-25T20:35:25Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > A weird combination of scream, howl, cough, bark. A funny quote from the comments of one of those videos, “foxes are cat software running on dog hardware with a dolphin soundboard.” ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746/18 "2022-10-25T22:43:35Z")
Love it! ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746/19 "2022-10-25T22:49:48Z")
Gray foxes are one of only two members of its genus thought to be extant. The foxes are dominated by _Vulpes_ nowadays. There are several extinct varieties of _Urocyon_. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746/20 "2022-10-25T22:49:51Z")
I’ve seen a fox in the Cleveland area before. Only once, but that’s more a testament to their ability to hide than their rarity, I think. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-animal-that-visited-my-front-porch-at-3-30-am-today/973746.md?page=2)