Arctic Fox
Arctic foxes have several adaptations that allow them to survive. Their round, compact bodies minimize surface area that is exposed to the cold air. Their muzzle, ears, and legs are short, which also conserves heat. Of course, the defining feature of the Arctic fox is their deep, thick fur which allows them to maintain a consistent body temperature. Arctic foxes also have thick fur on their paws, which allows them to walk on both snow and ice.
San Joaquin Kit Fox
San Joaquin kit foxes are the smallest foxes in North America. They have big ears and long bushy tails and are named after California’s San Joaquin Valley, where they are endemic, meaning they do not live anywhere else in the world.
The San Joaquin kit fox is federally listed as endangered and listed as threatened by California. The population is continuing to decline with recent estimates suggesting fewer than 3,000 left in the world. This is primarily due to habitat loss and fragmentation caused by the conversion of natural habitat for human use, such as utility-scale solar projects, agriculture, roads and housing.
Swift Fox
The swift fox is an indicator species – it can tell us a lot about the health of its grassland ecosystem. Swift foxes need large, unbroken expanses of short-grass prairie and healthy populations of prey to survive.
Habitat destruction and fragmentation, oil leasing, pesticides, disease and climate change threaten all of these species of fox.
The Arctic fox is not listed.
The San Joaquin kit fox is listed as endangered in the US.
The swift fox is listed as an endangered in Canada but not the US.
Defenders' Impact
Defenders is working to prevent the loss of our most vulnerable wildlife species, particularly in the Arctic, where the effects of climate change are most evident. We are advocating for no drilling on the Arctic Refuge, the protection of habitat corridors that allow wildlife to move between the refuge and Canada, and funding for on-the-ground research to better understand how warmer temperatures are affecting wildlife.
Defenders works tirelessly to save San Joaquin kit fox habitat in California and to help protect native grasslands in one of the fastest growing areas in the country. We advocate for thoughtful renewable energy siting to ensure projects are not placed in San Joaquin kit fox habitat or corridors and encourage permanent protection of vital habitats.
The Blackfeet Indian Nation and Defenders of Wildlife were the first to attempt a swift fox reintroduction effort in the United States. From 1998 to 2002, the Blackfeet Fish and Wildlife Department and Defenders of Wildlife reintroduced 123 captive-reared swift fox to the 1.5 million-acre Blackfeet Reservation in northern Montana. The effort was a success: swift foxes are now well established in this part of the Montana prairie. The Assiniboine and Sioux tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation in eastern Montana began reintroducing swift fox in 2006.
What You Can Do
Stand up for habitat protections across the country and speak out against oil and gas drilling and mining. Cut your carbon emissions and help mitigate climate change.
The San Joaquin kit fox is facing a sarcoptic mange disease epidemic within urban populations. If you see a fox that appears sick, do not approach or handle it, and report the sighting to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
About
The Arctic fox is found throughout the entire Arctic tundra, through Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Russia, Norway, Scandinavia, and even Iceland, where it is the only native land mammal.
The San Joaquin kit fox was originally found throughout most of the San Joaquin Valley in Central California. Today’s estimates show these foxes now occupy less than 10% of its historical range and are only on the edges of the San Joaquin Valley from southern Kern County up to San Joaquin County on the west and up to Stanislaus County on the east, and a few populations exist within the Valley floor. The core populations are found within the Carrizo Plain national Monument, Western Kern County and the Ciervo-Panoche Area.
The swift fox is found in fragmented populations in the western grasslands of North America, in Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas.
The Arctic fox population is several hundred thousand but fluctuates with the available lemming population.
The population of San Joaquin kit foxes is estimated to be as low as 3,000 individuals.
Swift fox population numbers in the wild are unknown, but they are found in less than 40% of their historic range.
Arctic foxes change the color of their fur with the seasons. In winter they are white to blend in with the snow, while in the summer their coat changes to brown or gray.
The San Joaquin kit fox are active mostly at night and are known for their curious nature. They live in underground dens, which are needed to keep them cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
Swift foxes are nocturnal, vocal and non-territorial. They spend more time underground in their burrows than any other canid and can run at speeds of more than 30 mph.
Mating season for the Arctic fox usually lasts from early September to early May. Arctic foxes usually mate for life, and both mother and father help raise the pups.
Kit fox parents will care for their pups until they are able to find food for themselves, at about 4-5 months old.
Swift foxes have four to five kits per season which disperse in September and October.
Lemmings are the staple food for Arctic foxes. However, they are quite opportunistic and will eat whatever is available on the frozen tundra, even if it means scavenging leftovers.
Kit foxes primarily eat rodents and other small animals, including black-tailed hares, desert cottontails, mice, kangaroo rats, squirrels, birds and lizards. Kit foxes do not need to drink water since their prey provides enough liquid for them to survive.
Swift foxes eat rabbits, prairie dogs, ground squirrels, mice, birds, reptiles, amphibians, berries and seeds.
Read More About the Foxes
News
Defenders to Sue Over Failure to Protect Habitat for One of Nation’s Rarest Mammals
Wildlife and Wild Places
