Island Gray Fox (Urocyon littoralis)

Island Gray Fox
Photograph by US government National Park Service. License: Public Domain. (view image details)

ISLAND GRAY FOX FACTS

Description
The Island Gray Fox is a small greyish-white and black with cinnamon underfur on the back. The underside is white, yellow, and rusty-brown. The yes nose and mouth are lined with black. The legs, ears and neck are cinnamon colored. The tail has a thin black stripe on the top and is rust colored on underside. There is variation in color - some can be predominantly greyish brown, honey brown or red.

Size
Length including tail: males 63-71cm; females; 59-79cm. Weight about 1.5 - 2.5kg. Tail length 11 -29cm

Environment
grasslands, coastal scrub, sand dunes, woodland, pine forests, coastal marshes

Food
insects and fruit. Also mice, birds, small lizards, frogs, snails.

Breeding
A litter of two or three pups (kits) are born after gestation of 50-60 days. Litter size can be up to 5. Young are born in den which can be hole in ground, hollow tree, rock shelter or cave. The young are weaned after 7 to 9 weeks.

Range
Channel islands (Santa Catalina, San Clemente, San Nicholas, San Miguel, Santa Cruz, and Santa Rosa Islands) about 30 to 100 kilometers off of the southern California coast.

Conservation Status
The conservation status in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals is "critically endangered".

Classification

Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Canidae
Genus:	Urocyon
Species:	littoralis
Common Name:	Island Gray Fox

Relatives in same Genus
Common Gray Fox (U. cinereoargenteus)

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