Are swift foxes endangered?
Least Concern (Population stable)
How long does a swift fox live?
The pale front chest and legs help distinguish them from red fox. The ears of the swift fox are unusually large, an adaptation which help them better hear their prey and predators. Swift foxes typically live 3-6 years, but have been known to live up to 14 years. The name “velox” is Latin for “swift”.
How big do swift foxes get?
1.7 ft.Adult
Do swift foxes hibernate?
Swift foxes are social and primarily nocturnal creatures. During the summer they spend only evenings and nighttime above ground and during the day they usually stay in their dens. However, during warm middays in winter Swift foxes may spend some time above ground. They also use their dens as shelter from predators.
What is the diet of swift fox?
Their diet is composed mainly of small mammals such as kangaroo rats, jackrabbits, cottontails, and rodents, but they will also eat insects, small birds, lizards, amphibians, and fish. Swift Foxes pair up in the fall and have their litters in early spring. Most Swift Foxes have three to six babies in a litter.
What is the swift fox predators?
Today swift foxes still face habitat fragmentation and poisoning, along with predation by coyotes, badgers and eagles. Meanwhile, the populations of prairie dogs and ground squirrels they feed on are shrinking.
Is it illegal to kill a swift fox?
There are currently populations of swift foxes in the U.S. ranging from South Dakota to Texas. However, the population is stable only in the central part of the range. Even though it is illegal to kill swift foxes, they are sometimes mistaken as coyotes and killed.
How can you tell a swift fox?
Swift foxes are about the size of a house cat, smaller than red foxes and only about a fifth the size of coyotes. In winter their coats are buffy-gray above, and orange-tan on the sides, legs and lower surface of the tail. The chest and belly are buff to white and the tail is tipped with black.
What is an interesting fact about swift fox?
Swift foxes usually live between 3 and 6 years in the wild, but may live up to 14 years in captivity. The swift fox is the smallest fox species in North America. It is about 30 cm (12 in) in height, and 80 cm (31 in) long, measuring from the head to the tip of the tail, or about the size of a domestic cat.
What’s the difference between a kit fox and a swift fox?
You can distinguish swift foxes from kit foxes by the swift fox’s smaller and rounder ears. Also, the swift fox’s tail is shorter in relation to its body size than that of the kit fox. Their scientific name is Vulpes velox, which simply translates to “swift fox.”
Did the natives hunt the swift fox?
Swift Fox. The Plains Cree are reported to have eaten swift fox [7].
Do swift foxes live in groups?
The male swift fox matures and may mate at one year, while the female usually waits until her second year before breeding. Adults live in pairs, and although some individuals mate for life, others choose different partners each year.
What is a swift fox behavior?
BEHAVIOR. They received the name “swift” fox because of their speediness. Swift foxes are nocturnal, vocal and non-territorial. They spend more time underground in their burrows than any other canid. Although they are social animals, they keep one mate throughout their lifetime.
How big are swift fox babies when they are born?
Swift Fox Life Cycle Litters range in size from 2 to 6 pups, with the average litter size being 4.5 pups. Swift fox pups are born blind and are completely dependent on their mother for the first few weeks of their lives. They are weaned at 6 to 7 weeks of age and will stay with their parents for around 6 months.
How can we help the swift fox?
Set up cameras in areas where swift foxes are thought to live to gather previously unknown scientific data about habitat occupancy during the summer when they are raising their young. Compare summer habitat occupancy with where swift foxes spend the winter.