San Miguel Island Fox (Urocyon littoralis littoralis)

Hi everyone! Today on The Fox Hunter I want to welcome you to the fascinating world of the endangered San Miguel Island Fox, known to scientists as Urocyon littoralis littoralis. It belongs to the Domain Eukarya and Kingdom Anamalia. The San Miguel Island Fox is a mammal located on San Miguel Island which is part of the Channel Islands and can also be found in California and Nevada. The island biomes in which it resides include temperate forest, temperate grassland and chaparral. This is a beautiful fox that is also the smallest fox species known from the United States. The adult males weigh approximately 2 kg and females weigh 1.88 kg. Their fur is greyish-white and black with cinnamon underfur on the dorsal side and pale white, yellow and brown on the ventral side. It's nose, eyes, chin and lips are lined in black.



Young foxes have a thicker but paler coat and darker ears compared to the adult foxes as seen in this picture:
The San Miguel Island fox eats fruits, insects, birds, eggs, small mammals such as the deer mice, lizards and crabs. As you can see, this critter helps control the rodent/insect population in it's area. This fox is generally nocturnal and tends to travel alone rather than in packs.

One of the main reasons that the San Miguel Island fox has a high mortality rate is because of the Golden eagle. The Golden eagle did not appear on the Channel Islands until the 90's when their main food source, feral pigs, on Santa Rosa Island was exterminated. The Golden eagle is four times the size of the Island fox, which makes the fox easy prey. The fox is also very susceptible to diseases from other animals, especially the domestic dog, because it is isolated and has not had much exposure to diseases.

With global warming issues on the rise, there is great concern for the San Miguel Island fox. The rise in temperature due to global warming will bring more mosquitoes that may carry diseases. The Island fox is an isolated animal therefore, does not have immunity to diseases or parasites. This makes it more likely that the San Miguel Island fox can contract deadly diseases that are an indirect result of global warming.

Recovery efforts of the fox are being made by removing the Golden eagle from the San Miguel Island. There are also captive breeding programs underway on all four islands. A vaccination program has also been initiated to protect foxes from canine distemper. Since the Channel Islands are entirely owned by the Catalina Island Conservancy and federal government, there is a good chance that the Island fox will receive the protection it needs.

References:
Friends of the Island Fox. July 5, 2008. http://islandfox.org/uploaded_images/foxinhand-796661.jpg. Downloaded on July 16, 2008.

Friends of the Island Fox. July 5, 2008. http://www.santabarbarazoo.org/images/island_pup1.jpg. Downloaded on July 16, 2008.

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior. July 25, 2006.
http://www.nps.gov/chis/planyourvisit/san-miguel-island.htm. Downloaded on July 16, 2008.

Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Trouble in Paradise: California's Island Fox. 2004.
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/publications/zoogoer/2004/4/islandfoxes.cfm. Downloaded on July 16, 2008.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Threatened and Endangered Animals and Plants. February 19, 2008. http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/SpeciesReport.do?spcode=A08I. Downloaded on July 16, 2008.