Many populations are now isolated. In Canada, swift foxes are now found in only a small area of prairie grasslands in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. The protection of these grasslands is critical to the survival of the swift fox and other species that depend on this habitat. Because swift foxes spend more time underground than any other canine species, their dens are very important to their survival. They use them year-round for protection against predators and as a place to raise their young.
Swift foxes hunt mainly at night. They will, however, sun themselves near their dens during the day. They primarily feed on rodents, but will also eat birds and their eggs, insects, plants and carrion. This discovery is proof that the work of conservation organizations like NCC to secure and steward privately owned land is helping species at risk — in this case, providing a home to help in the recovery of this threatened species.
By working together with local communities, other land trust organizations and private landowners, NCC will continue to conserve and steward these lands to ensure animals like swift fox still have wild places to live.
Your gift will help care for habitat that swift fox and other species rely on for their survival. Symbolically adopt a swift fox today. Some of their preferred rodent meals are prairie dogs genus Cynomys , mice, pack rats genus Neotoma , kangaroo rats genus Dipodomys , white-footed mice Peromyscus leucopus , voles and ground squirrels.
Swift foxes practice opportunistic eating patterns, and therefore readily eat most things they're capable of seizing. They also regularly feed on the rotting remains of animals who were killed by others beforehand -- carrion. They often eat the carrion of raccoons and skunks. Some swift foxes feed solely on mammals, with no other dietary elements. While swift foxes mostly eat mammals, they also routinely munch on other types of meats.
Some of the other animals they prey on are fish, amphibians, insects and tiny birds. Swift foxes' favorite insects include both beetles and grasshoppers.
When they eat birds, they usually opt for those that nest on the ground, such as western meadowlarks Sturnella neglecta , horned larks Eremophila alpestris and ring-necked pheasants Phasianus colchicus.
Although they do occasionally eat reptiles such as lizards, this isn't overly common for them. Some of the plant-based foods that swift foxes enjoy are grasses, seeds and berries. One specific plant that swift foxes are known to eat is the prickly pear cactus genus Opuntia. Wild foxes usually live between years, while the ones that have been raised in captivity live to a whopping 14 years!
The behavior of the swift fox is a bit different to some other foxes, the swift fox is one that stays in its den way more than any other species of fox, because they heavily rely on their shelters beneath the ground for protection against predators. Another unique characteristic of the swift fox is its speed. Like most foxes, the swift fox is an omnivore, leaning more towards the carnivore side however.
Its diet consists of rabbits, mice, ground squirrels, insects, and lizards, but this can depend on the seasons and what food is readily available to the fox. During the summer the adult foxes will eat a vast amount of insects, beetles, and grasshoppers. Although they feed themselves with smaller creatures, they will feed their babies larger prey such as deer and carrion that have already been killed by another predator. The swift fox is an opportunistic eater, consuming anything it can easily seize.
This can include, but is not limited to, fish, tiny birds, rotten meat, skunks, and prairie dogs. Grasses, berries, and seeds are what they most commonly consume when it comes to vegetation, however, they are also known to eat prickly pear cactus.
The reproduction of the swift fox varies depending on the individual, some foxes mate for life while others will reproduce with a different individual each year. The males reach sexual maturity at one year of age, whereas, the female often waits till her second year to begin reproducing.
In Canada the breeding season begins in March, the gestation lasts about days, and the pups are born during mid-May.
Foxes who live in the southern parts of the United States usually start breeding somewhere in late December, early January, with the babies born in March, early April. Unlike some creatures, the swift fox only has one litter a year, with about babies in the litter. The pups are almost always born underground and usually remain there for about a month. At birth, the eyes and ears of the pups are closed, with this lasting for about days meaning that they are completely dependent on their mothers for sustenance and protection during this vital time period.
After about 7 weeks the pups are weaned, but tend to stay alongside their parents till the fall. Swift foxes tend to inhabit short-grass prairies and western grasslands, they will make their dens in the sandy soil of the prairies, in fields that have been plowed, or right along the edge of fences. The swift fox loves to live in places where there are colonies of prairie dogs since they are a large part of the foxes diet.
Since the swift fox is such a small animal it has quite a few predators that prey on it. One of its main predators are the coyotes. For this animal, the swift fox is a perfect meal since they are very small in size and easy to hunt.
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