Swift fox By Elise
The swift fox is 30 times faster than humans. They are also listed as least concern on the IUCN red list. They are endangered, but recovering. Read on to learn about where this animal lives, what it looks like, what it eats, how it acts, what its predators are, and why it is in danger. The swift foxes genus is vulpes. They are the size of a domestic house cat.The females and males look the same, but the males are usually larger. They have gray fur, a pale underside and rust colored markings. They are about 12 inches tall and about 30 inches long, measuring from the head to the tip of the tail. Their tail is 10 inches long. They weigh between 3.25 and 6.5 pounds. The swift fox is an amazing animal. The swift fox got the name swift because they are very fast runners. They can up to 40 miles per hour. The swift fox is actually nocturnal. It hunts from dusk to dawn. The swift fox is an omnivore. They eat invertebrates, which are creatures like worms, clams, butterflies or spiders that lack a backbone. The swift fox also eats small mammals, insects, berries and nuts and grasses. It’s diet varies by season. Their lifespan in the wild is 3 to 6 years. In captivity they can live up to 14 years. They breed from late December to March and they mate for life. The pups are born from March to mid May. The swift fox is an interesting creature. The swift fox has many threats, most because of us humans. They are vulnerable to shooting and trapping, done by us humans.They are vulnerable because the swift fox is not used to humans and so they would not know what to do if a human comes upon it. They also are threatened by poisons that are used to kill coyotes and wolves. Those poisons can result in death for the swift fox. Climate change impacts them because the dry weather in the summer and the cold weather in the winter causes them to die of starvation. They can die of starvation if food is hard to find. They also are affected by habitat loss because us humans are reducing the amount of farmland they live in and humans are building more buildings on their habitat. In the past their fur was used commercially but now it is not a problem. These are some threats to swift foxes that make them endangered. The swift fox has few predators. Their predators are coyotes, eagles, red tailed hawks and rough legged hawks. The coyote is their main predator but they often choose not to eat it. This animal is lucky to have only a few predators. The swift fox has a chance of surviving, but only if us humans help. We have to be responsible with poison that is meant for other animals, and cautious when we are near them, because they are not used to us. We also must work to stop climate change, or help make it better, so that they don't die of starvation. We also must be respectful of their habitat and set areas aside for them. This is how we can save the swift fox. Now you see why it is so important for us to help these amazing creatures. The swift fox is on the IUCN red list, but if we work to save it, they can get off. |
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