Swift fox

The swift fox (Vulpes velox) is a small, light orange-tan fox about the size of a domestic cat. It lives in the western Great Plains grasslands of North America, in places such as Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. It can also be found in southern Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta in Canada.

This fox mainly lives in short-grass prairies and deserts. It almost disappeared in the 1930s because of programs that tried to control predators, but it was brought back successfully later. Today, the swift fox is considered to be safe by the IUCN, with stable populations in many areas.

Like other dogs and wolves, the swift fox eats many things, including grasses, fruits, small animals, carrion, and insects. In the wild, it lives between 3 and 6 years. It has one breeding season each year, from late December to March, depending on where it lives. Babies are born between March and mid-May and are ready to leave their mother after six to seven weeks.

Description

The swift fox is a small, light orange-tan animal, about the size of a house cat. It has a dark, grayish-tan color on its back that changes to a yellowish tan on its sides and legs. Its belly and chest are pale yellow to white, and its tail has a black tip. The fox also has black patches around its muzzle and large ears, similar to the kit fox, though its ears are set a bit farther apart.

It stands about 12 inches (30 cm) tall and is around 31 inches (79 cm) long from head to tail tip. Swift foxes usually weigh between five and seven pounds. Male and female swift foxes look almost the same, but males are a little larger.

Distribution and habitat

The swift fox lives in short-grass prairies and western grasslands. These foxes make their homes in sandy soil on open prairies, in fields that have been plowed, or along fences. They are native to the Great Plains area of North America. Their homes stretch north to southern Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada, and south to Texas. They can also be found from western Iowa to Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Montana.

Conservation status

The swift fox used to be in big trouble, considered a seriously endangered species. This was mainly because of old programs in the 1930s that tried to reduce numbers of animals like the gray wolf and the coyote. By 1938, swift foxes had completely disappeared from Canada. However, in 1983, people began bringing them back. This effort worked well, and today there are small groups of swift foxes living again in parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

By 1996, over 500 swift foxes had been released in these areas. Just four years later, their numbers had more than tripled, showing how successful the effort was. In May 1999, Canada’s Species at Risk Act officially listed the swift fox as an endangered species, giving it extra protection. Today, the swift fox population in Canada is small but stable and growing. In the United States, swift foxes live from South Dakota to Texas, and their numbers are steady. The IUCN Red List says the swift fox is not in danger anymore.

Behavior and ecology

The swift fox usually lives for 3 to 6 years in the wild, but can live up to 14 years when cared for by humans. It is mostly active at night, coming out only in the evenings and nighttime during summer. During the day, it stays in its den, especially in winter. These foxes need their dens for shelter from bigger animals that might hurt them. Their dens are burrows about two to four meters long. Swift foxes can run very fast, up to over 50 km/h (30 mph). Bigger animals like coyotes, American badgers, golden eagles, and bobcats sometimes hunt them. They can also be hurt by traps, poison, or cars.

Reproduction

Swift foxes usually have one partner, though sometimes they change partners each year. In the southern United States, they mate from December to February, and their babies, called pups, are born in March or April. In Canada, mating starts in March, and pups are born in mid-May. After about 51 days, females give birth to four or five pups. The pups stay in the den for about a month. Their eyes and ears open after ten to fifteen days. They start eating regular food at six or seven weeks old and stay with their parents until fall. The females usually decide where the family lives.

Diet

Swift foxes eat many things, including rabbits, mice, ground squirrels, birds, insects, other small animals, lizards, amphibians, fish, and eggs. They also eat grasses and fruits. In summer, they eat lots of insects like beetles and grasshoppers, and sometimes eat bigger food like deer or animals that other predators have killed.