Also known as: Kit Fox
The Swift Fox is about the size of a house cat and is the smallest American fox species. Its fur is pale yellow, with brownish ears and a fluffy tail marked by a black spot at both the base and the tip.
Habitat & Range
These foxes typically occupy open desert or grassland environments. They hunt in high, well-drained mesas, hilltops, along the borders of valleys, and sparsely vegetated hillsides plus other well-drained areas. They have also adapted to cultivated lands and ranchlands. Within Texas, their range is limited to the western 1/3 of the state.
Life History
Swift Foxes are characteristically nocturnal animals, though they sometimes emerge during daytime. They leave dens at night to hunt and rarely move far from their dens. Speed and den proximity are their primary defenses. Multiple family groups may hunt the same territory, though not simultaneously. Their diet consists mostly of small mammals including kangaroo rats, jackrabbits, cottontails, and rodents, plus insects, small birds, lizards, amphibians, and fish. Pairs form in fall, and litters of three to six pups arrive in early spring.
Status, Trends & Threats
Swift Foxes are not very suspicious of humans, so they are easily trapped or poisoned. In areas where trapping occurs or where poison is deployed for predator control, the foxes have been greatly reduced in number or entirely eliminated. No formal conservation status listing is noted on the page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Swift Fox active during the day?
They are primarily nocturnal but are sometimes active during the daytime as well.
How many babies do Swift Foxes have?
Most Swift Foxes have three to six babies in a litter, born in early spring after pairing up in the fall.
Where in Texas can Swift Foxes be found?
Their Texas distribution is limited to the western 1/3 of the state, inhabiting open desert, grasslands, and sometimes cultivated or ranchlands.
