Swift fox
A swift fox in the Zoo of Omaha in Nebraska.
The swift fox (Vulpes velox ) is a Fuchsart that inhabits drier areas in western North America. From also occurring in North America, closely related Kit Fox he is distinguishable by its smaller body size and the lack of dark back strip.
Features
The swift fox is the smallest Fuchsart of North America, 74 to 82 cm long with 30 cm long tail and can weigh 2.2 to 3.0 kg. Females are slightly smaller with 68 to 75 cm in length. The coat color is light gray with a brownish orange coloration on the sides of the body and legs. Throat, chest, belly and ears inside are cream-colored. The tail is bushy and has a black tip. Both sides of the snout are blackish. Compared to the Kit Fox its large, triangular ears are smaller.
Dissemination
The swift fox is in the Great Plains in the central North America east of the Rocky Mountains of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan to Montana to western Texas and eastern New Mexico before. The largest populations exist in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico and Wyoming. In the 1930s, they disappeared from Canada, have been naturalized since 1983 but again. The current distribution is highly fragmented and comprises about 39 to 42 percent of the original area of distribution.
Way of life
Swift foxes are found in short- grass prairies and deserts and dig their burrows in the sandy ground. The entire Bauanlage may be three to four feet long and four inputs have. They are mainly in the evening and at night and spend the day actively protected under construction. Only in the winter months they leave their protection during the lunch time to sunbathe at the entrance of the building to take.
Swift foxes feed on seasonally dependent on all kinds of small prey, including small mammals animals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects and also take berries to himself. On the hunt and on the run, they can reach speeds of 50 km / h.
In the wild swift fox is about three to six years old on average, captive animals reached an age of up to 14 years.
Reproduction
The propagation time of the Swift fox ranges from late December to March (March to May in Canada). During the breeding season, the swift fox is monogamous, but not paired in each year with the same partner. The female gives birth after a gestation period of 50 to 60 days two to six pups, which weigh about 40 g at birth. They open their eyes after 10 to 15 days. The young foxes are suckled for 42 to 49 days to leave the building for the first time after a month and are independent after about six months. Males reproduce at an age of one year, females only after two years.
System
Long been controversial whether the Swift Fox and the western living Kit Fox (Vulpes macrotis ) two distinct species or subspecies of the same species. Protein Electrophoresis and older morphometric data ( comparison between different body measurements ) argue for a kind, while newer morphometric studies and the comparison of mitochondrial DNA on two separate species indicate. The genetic distance between the two species to the Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus ) is just as great as their distance from each other.
However, both species are very similar in appearance and in their habitat requirements. Their habitat is separated by the Rocky Mountains. A small hybridization zone exists in eastern New Mexico and western Texas.
From the swift fox, there are two subspecies
- In the south V.v.hebes
- In the north V.v.velox
Endangering
The swift fox was heavily hunted in the past, he is still shot as an alleged Coyote and is still threatened by habitat loss. Also, the sharp decline in prairie dog populations has a negative effect on the stock of Swiftfuches from, because it is the major food source is largely absent. Its population is stable only in the core of the range. The IUCN estimates that type still a no impairment (Least Concern ). In Canada it is protected and listed as endangered, is similar for some states of the USA.