The swift fox, Vulpes velox, is a small, light orange-tan fox about the size of a domestic cat, living in the short-grass prairies and western grasslands of the Great Plains of North America from southern Alberta and Saskatchewan south to Texas. It is closely related to the kit fox, and the two hybridise only where their ranges overlap in eastern New Mexico and western Texas. Like most canids it is an omnivore, eating grasses, fruit, small mammals, carrion and insects. In the wild it lives three to six years and breeds once a year. Predator control programs aimed at wolves and coyotes nearly wiped it out in the 1930s and it was extirpated from Canada by 1938, but a reintroduction begun in 1983 restored small populations, and the IUCN now rates it Least Concern.
Facts
Conservation Status Body Size Band Activity Pattern Activity Pattern Classification
System (Realm) Living or Extinct Comparison
CITES Appendix Connections
Child Taxon Of
In Biome
Source Swift fox (Wikipedia)
In Ecosystem
Source Swift fox (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Swift fox (Wikipedia)Range, CanadaQuote, Range, Canada
It is native to the Great Plains region of North America, and its range extends north to the southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada, and south to Texas.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Swift fox (Wikipedia)Range, United StatesQuote, Range, United States
found in the western Great Plains grasslands of North America, such as Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas
Sources
1. Swift fox (Wikipedia)
Lead, conservation status, living species
Currently, the conservation status of the species is considered by the IUCN as Least Concern owing to stable populations elsewhere.
Lead, diet
Like most canids, the swift fox is an omnivore, and its diet includes grasses and fruits as well as small mammals, carrion, and insects.
Habitat
The swift fox lives primarily in short-grass prairies and deserts.
Range, Canada
It is native to the Great Plains region of North America, and its range extends north to the southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada, and south to Texas.
Range, United States
found in the western Great Plains grasslands of North America, such as Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas
Child Taxon Of: Vulpes, Lead, genus
The swift fox (Vulpes velox) is a small light orange-tan fox around the size of a domestic cat found in the western Great Plains grasslands of North America
In Group: Dogs And Wild Canids, Lead, canid
The swift fox (Vulpes velox) is a small light orange-tan fox around the size of a domestic cat found in the western Great Plains grasslands of North America
In Biome: Desert, Habitat, deserts
The swift fox lives primarily in short-grass prairies and deserts.
In Ecosystem: Great Plains, Range
It is native to the Great Plains region of North America, and its range extends north to the southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada, and south to Texas.
View the Source2. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Vulpes velox
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyConservation Status: CITESQuote, Conservation Status: CITES
No special status
3. Ecological Archives E095-178 (Wilman et al. 2014): EltonTraits 1.0 mammal diet data
Ecological Archives E095-178 (Wilman et al. 2014)MamFuncDat.txt row Vulpes velox, BodyMass-Value (grams)
Vulpes velox Canidae 10 70 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ref_1 ABC G A 1 1 0 Ref_1 ABC 2197.51
MamFuncDat.txt row Vulpes velox, Activity-Nocturnal
Vulpes velox Canidae 10 70 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ref_1 ABC G A 1 1 0 Ref_1 ABC 2197.51
MamFuncDat.txt row Vulpes velox, Activity-Crepuscular
Vulpes velox Canidae 10 70 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ref_1 ABC G A 1 1 0 Ref_1 ABC 2197.51
View the Source 4. AnAge, Human Ageing Genomic Resources: AnAge entry for Vulpes velox
AnAge, Human Ageing Genomic ResourcesLifespan, ageing, and relevant traits: Maximum longevityQuote, Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits: Maximum longevity
15.9 years (captivity)
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