Conservation
Scientific Classification
Order | Carnivora |
Family | Canidae |
Genus | Vulpes |
Binomial name | Vulpes velour |
Range Map
Description
The swift fox is a small-sized species of fox found in the grasslands of the western regions of North America, including Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas in the United States and Manitoba and Alberta in Canada.
They are about the size of a domestic cat, measuring about 70 cm in body length. They became nearly extinct in the 1930s, but was successfully reintroduced, and is now pretty common again.
Swift foxes are omnivores and eat fruits and grasses as well as small mammals and insects. Their pelage is dark gray to brown across the body, while it becomes more yellow along the sides and legs.
In the wild, these foxes live between 3 to 6 years and are primarily nocturnal. During the day they are usually confined to the den, which is dug underground.