Kit fox

Peterson B. Moose, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Common Name: Kit Fox

Scientific Name: Vulpes macrotis

Conservation Status: Least Concern (Cypher & List, 2014).

Habitat: Grassland, Shrubland; arid and semi-arid regions encompassing desert scrub, chaparral, halophytic, and grassland communities (Cypher & List, 2014).

Range: Deserts and arid lands of western North America. In the United States, Southern California to western Colorado and western Texas, north into southern Oregon and Idaho. In Mexico, it occurs across the Baja California Peninsula and across northern Sonora and Chihuahua to western Nuevo León, and south into northern Zacatecas (Cypher & List, 2014).

Diet: Primarily carnivorous; however, if food is scarce they have been noted to consume some fruits. The main sources are rodents, rabbits, insects, reptiles, carrion. The most common prey are prairie dogs, kangaroo rats black-tailed jackrabbits, and cottontail rabbits (Patton, 2008).

Threats: Urban and industrial development of their range has resulted in habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation. The expansion of road networks in Mexico has increased vehicle mortality for this species as well (Cypher & List, 2014).