Not the agile deer, not the rumbling black bear nor the lowly squirrel. Not even a scrunchy faced bulldog.
No, one state lawmaker wants to designate the gray fox as Georgia’s official state mammal.
Rep. Carolyn Hugley, D-Columbus, has filed House Bill 70, that would add the fox to Georgia’s list of official state critters, joining the right whale (official state marine mammal), the bobwhite (official state game bird) and the brown thrasher (official state bird).
The gray fox, which is not a euphemism for any of the older lawmakers at the Capitol, are “salt and pepper” gray with patches of reddish fur on the neck, flanks, legs and underside of the tail, according to Henry County Animal Control. They typically weigh between 8 and 12 pounds are 34-40 inches long.
They are native to the eastern forests of Georgia and are more common in southeast Georgia.
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