Swift Fox

Vulpes velox

Once common from Manitoba through Alberta, the swift fox vanished from the Canadian prairies in the 1930′s. WPC has been working with the swift fox since the mid-1990′s, when our participation in an effort to reintroduce the species to the wild helped establish a small but apparently self-sustaining population in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. Our follow-up census in 2000-2001 revealed triple the number that were found four years earlier. A stunning 98.6% of young were wild-born, making this one of the most successful endangered species translocation programs in the world.

Now, the Swift Fox Recovery Team is working to identify critical habitat for this species, and to determine whether the species’ status should be downlisted from endangered to threatened. In support of this effort, we are currently applying rigorous new scientific techniques to earlier census data, which will result in data files that can subsequently be used for refined population modeling and accurate designation of critical swift fox habitat in Canada.

Description

One of the smallest foxes in the world, the swift fox weighs just 2.5 kilograms and measures about 30 cm high at the shoulder. It is named for its speed, which can reach 60 km/hr. The summer coloration is usually pale yellow or buffy red tinged with grey on the back, with lighter sides and a white to pale yellowish brown underside. The tail is bushy and the ears are large, pointed and erect. Black patches on either side of the snout and a black tip on its tail distinguish this fox. The swift fox is nocturnal and feeds on small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, grasses and berries, as well as carrion left by larger predators. Their estimated home range size is thought to be about 12-32 square kilometres. They form lasting pair bonds, and both male and female rear their young. Breeding occurs in March and 2-5 pups are born in the den in mid-May. Their life expectancy in the wild is 3-6 years and up to 14 years in captivity.

Habitat

The swift fox requires native short and medium mixed grass prairie for its survival. Preferred sites have an open, unobstructed view. Dens are often abandoned badger holes, and several dens are used year round by family groups.

Distribution and Population Size

Swift foxes were once found from the Prairie grasslands in Manitoba to the foothills of Alberta, and south through the central plains states to Mexico. The swift fox is now endangered in 90% of its historic habitat range, with small populations in Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota and northern Colorado. In Canada the fox disappeared from the wild in the 1930′s and was listed as “extirpated” in Canada in 1978. A reintroduced population now exists in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. The current Canadian population is now estimated at 300 individuals.

Threats to Survival

Rapid population declines in the early 1900′s was caused by the loss of habitat to agriculture and ranching, earlier intensive trapping, and poisoning that was the inadvertant result of campaigns to eradicate prairie dogs, ground squirrels, wolves and coyotes. Present threats include habitat fragmentation and degradation, scarcity of prairie dogs and ground squirrels that are a major source of prey, continued threats from poisoning campaigns, competition with coyotes for food, and predation by coyotes, badgers and eagles.