Range: Restricted to the six largest Channel Islands: San Clemente, Santa Catalina, San Nicolas, Santa Cruz, San Miguel and Santa Rosa.
Habitat: Utilizes a variety of habitats on the islands including heavily wooded areas such as chaparral, coastal scrub, and oak woodlands.
Description: It is smaller than an average house cat and weighs only about 2-2.2 kg (4.5-4.75 lbs). Its small body is only about 23-31 inches long and its tail adds another 4.5-11.5 inches. The Island Fox subspecies from San Clemente Island weighs approximately 1.8 kg and is the smallest fox species in the US. Like the mainland gray fox, it has cinnamon or buff underfur covered on the back and sides by black and white guard hairs, which give the animal a "salt and pepper" appearance. The fox's lower face and throat are white, and a narrow black stripe tops its bushy tail.
Adaptations/Habitat: The foxes can be active by day or night, but are most often seen foraging during early morning and then again from late afternoon to early evening. This species has evolved as the top carnivore in their environment and has no natural predators. On Santa Cruz Island, foxes have been known to climb tall shrubs to reach berries and to eat flying insects. On San Nicolas Island, they enter gull colonies to prey on eggs and chicks. The island populations most at risk are those on islands with large numbers of feral cats which compete with the foxes for prey. On Santa Catalina, Santa Cruz, and Santa Rosa, introduced herbivores including cattle, sheep, bison, pigs, goats, elk, and deer continue to degrade island fox habitat by overgrazing, over browsing and trampling native vegetation.
Breeding/Growth:
Diet: They are generalists in their feeding habits, primarily taking insects (grasshoppers, Jerusalem crickets, and beetles) and land snails, but also feeding on rodents, birds (chicks and eggs), reptiles, and fruits of manzanita, toyon, prickly pear, Catalina cherry, and other plants.
Exhibit: California Trails
Notes: STATUS:Threatened
Archaeological and ethnographic records show that the Island Chumash regarded this fox with special reverence. They crafted quivers, capes, blankets, and ceremonial headdresses out of the hides. The foxes served as totems, dream helpers, and characters in legends. Island foxes were present on the northern islands at least 16,000 years ago (prior to humans), but don't appear in archaeological sites in the southern islands until much later, indicating that Native Americans probably transported them there as early as 3,500 years ago.
