Types of Desert Fox

Desert foxes are uniquely adapted to the hot, arid conditions in which they live. Most desert foxes subsist on a diet of insects, desert fauna, small animals and even road kill. Dens and burrows are the preferred homes of desert foxes. Desert fox populations are on the decline in many areas because of human encroachment into their territories.

  1. Gray Fox

    • A nocturnal animal, the gray fox is known as the only desert fox that climbs trees. The gray fox eats desert rats, desert fruits and foliage, as well as small birds and snakes. Similar in build to a small coyote, the gray fox weighs from five to 10 pounds and sports a gray coat with a black stripe along its bushy tail. Gray foxes mate during the late winter months and pups are born the following spring. Both parents feed the pups and the father is responsible for standing guard over the den. Gray fox pups typically leave the den and hunt on their own after four months.

    Fennec

    • One of the smallest desert foxes, the fennec weights in at less than three pounds and is characterized by its black-tipped tail, sand-colored fur and six-inch-long pointed ears, which help this fox radiate body heat. The fennec's mating season is in late winter, with pups born in early spring. Fennecs live in small underground den communities with other foxes and subsist primarily on desert fruits, insects and small animals, such as desert rodents.

    Kit Fox

    • A small fox weighing in at four to five pounds, the kit fox lives in dry, open desert flats and is a nocturnal hunter and voracious digger. The kit fox dwells in dens or burrows and lives primarily on a diet of kangaroo rats. Kit foxes are uniquely adapted to desert living because they need very little water. Kit foxes relocate to different dens on a regular basis and often create intricate tunnels with numerous exits. Kit foxes are solitary animals, except for mating, which occurs in late fall. Kit fox pups are born in late winter. Both parents care for their offspring until they are able to fend for themselves at approximately five to six months of age. The kit fox is characterized by its large ears, pointed snout, light tan hide and black striped tail.

    San Joaquin Kit Fox

    • While the San Joaquin kit fox is considered an entirely different breed from the kit fox, it shares the same characteristics in regard to size, weight, feeding and breeding habits, and pup rearing. The fur of the San Joaquin kit fox, however, is much lighter in color than that of the kit fox and, rather than dig its own dens, prefers to enlarge the existing dens of small desert rodents.