Welcome Ladies and Gentleman to the very last Wild Fact……for the week. I probably should have picked an animal from Antarctica to try and help me cool down, considering it is about 47 degrees Celsius in Ottawa right now. But you guys aren’t that lucky so instead of writing about a nice cool animal, I am just going to complain about the sweat dripping off of my nose as we learn about the Island Fox. This particular fox species is another critically endangered animal so I thought we should learn about it before they disappear from the Channel Islands of California.
Some reports indicate that the Island Fox population has fallen from 6000 individuals, six years ago, to a mere 1600 animals existing in the wild today. I personally question the validity of these numbers since that seems like quite a steep decline in only five or six years. Nonetheless, this is definitely an animal that needs to be protected. Why do we want to keep the Island Fox on the planet for a little longer? Because the Island Fox is awesome (just like any other fox species), that’s why! Besides, look how adorable these tiny creatures are. Believe it or not they are about the size of a standard house cat, and in some cases, smaller. Even crazier is the fact that these are typically the largest mammal found on these Islands.
Since they are king of the Island (for now), this fox will typically hunt down fruit, insects and even the deer mouse, which is one of the few small mammals found on these islands. When the Island Fox is feeling adventurous, they will head down to the coast to hunt for crabs and tasty aquatic invertebrates. Let’s face it, everyone needs to have a seafood night every once in awhile.
Island Fox Fast Fact – Did you know that the Island Fox has many different names. That’s right, they are also known as the Coast Fox, Island Gray Fox, Short-Tailed Fox, Channel Islands Fox, Channel Islands Gray Fox, Insular Gray Fox and California Channel Island Fox. Talk about having multiple personalities. The poor Island Fox probably doesn’t even know its own name…..and not just because they are a fox.
How about that? We all made it to the end of another week. Now it is time to kick off our shoes and enjoy the weekend that lies just ahead. Have a great weekend and I will see you on Monday.
