San Joaquin Kit Fox
Vulpes macroitis mutica
The tiny and secretive San Joaquin kit fox is one of the most endangered animals in California. The kit fox is the size of a house cat with big ears, a long bushy tail and furry toes that help to keep it cool in its hot and dry Central Valley environment. They are difficult to spot with their buff, tan or yellowish-grey fur.
Height 12 inches at the shoulder
Length 20 Inches
Weight 5 lbs
(male)
Lifespan 7 years
Diet
Rodents and other small animals, including black-tailed hares, desert cottontails, mice, kangaroo rats, squirrels, birds and lizards. Kit fox do not need to drink water since their prey provides enough liquid for them to survive.
Population
No one knows historic population numbers for the San Joaquin kit fox. However, kit foxes were relatively common until the 1930s when people began to convert grasslands to farms, orchards and cities. Currently, there are less than 7,000 San Joaquin kit foxes.
Range
The San Joaquin kit fox was originally found throughout most of the San Joaquin Valley in Central California. However, the kit fox is now found only on the edges of the San Joaquin Valley from southern Kern County up to Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Joaquin Counties on the west and up to Stanislaus County on the east, and a few populations exist within the Valley floor.
Behavior
The San Joaquin kit fox is active mostly at night. Kit foxes live in underground dens, which they need to keep them cool in the summer and warm in the winter. These dens also keep them safe from coyotes and shelter their pups. Kit foxes use dens built by other animals or structures such as large drainage pipes. One fox may use between 3 and 24 different dens each year.
Reproduction
Mating Season December - March
Gestation 48-52
days
Litter Size 3-5 pups
Kit fox parents will care for their pups until
they are able to find food for themselves, at about 4-5 months old.
Threats
The change in the Central Valley from open grasslands to farms, orchards, houses and roads has had the greatest impact on San Joaquin kit foxes, causing death, illness, injury, difficulty in finding a mate and difficulty in finding food. Kit fox also are killed by coyotes and red foxes. Another threat is poison used to kill rats and mice. A recent decision by the federal government to limit to use of these poisons outdoors may keep kit foxes safe.
Legal Status/Protection
The U.S. Department of the Interior declared the San Joaquin kit fox *an endangered species under the in 1967. California placed the kit fox on the state endangered species list in 1971.
*The Endangered Species Act requires the US federal government to identify species threatened with extinction, identify habitat they need to survive, and help protect both. In doing so, the Act works to ensure the basic health of our natural ecosystems and protect the legacy of conservation we leave to our children and grandchildren.
How You Can Help
- Help kit foxes and other wildlife by adopting a kit fox today at our Wildlife Adoption Center.
- Take Action for Wildlife at our Wildlife Action Center.
For additional information
Endangered Species Recovery Program
Sacramento Fish & Wildlife
Office
World Wildlife Fund Guide
