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The Island Fox (Urocyon littoralis) is a small fox that is native to six of the eight Channel Islands of California. It is the smallest fox species in the United States. Other names for the Island Fox include Coast Fox, Short-Tailed Fox, Island Gray Fox, Channel Islands Fox, Channel Islands Gray Fox, California Channel Island Fox and Insular Gray Fox.
1 Physical description
The Island Fox is about a foot high and weighs about three or four pounds. They have gray fur on their backs, a ruddy red coloring on their sides and white fur on their bellies.
2 Taxonomy and evolution
The Island Fox shares the Urocyon genus with the mainland Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), the fox from which it is descended. Its small size is a result of island dwarfing, a kind of allopatric speciation.
2.1 Subspecies
There are six subspecies of Island Fox, each of which is native to a specific Channel Island, and which evolved there independent of the others. The subspecies are Urocyon littoralis littoralis of San Miguel Island, Urocyon littoralis santarosae of Santa Rosa IslandSanta Rosa Island is the second largest of the Channel Islands of California and part of Channel Islands National Park. It is located about 26 miles (42 km) off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. A variety of the Torrey Pine Pinus torreyana var., Urocyon littoralis santacruzae of Santa Cruz IslandSanta Cruz Island is a privately owned island off the coast of California. It is part of the northern group of the Channel Islands of California and is the largest of the eight islands in the chain. Nine-tenths of Santa Cruz has been owned by The Nature C, Urocyon littoralis dickeyi of San Nicolas IslandSan Nicolas Island is the most remote of California's Channel Islands. San Nic" or "SNI" was originally the home of the Nicolenos people. The Nicolenos were evacuated in the early 19th century by the padres of the California mission system after a series, Urocyon littoralis catalinae of Santa Catalina IslandSanta Catalina Island also commonly called simply Catalina Island is a rocky island off the coast of California. It is only one of the Channel Islands island chain to have a permanent settlement, the resort city of Avalon, California. It is located about and Urocyon littoralis clementae of San Clemente IslandSan Clemente Island or "SCI" is the southernmost of the Channel Islands of California. It is a owned and operated by the United States Navy, and is a part of Los Angeles County. It is 18 miles long. Archeologists have found traces of human occupation on t. Foxes from each island are capable of interbreeding, but have genetic and phenotypic distinctions that make them unique, for example, the subspecies have differing numbers of tail vertebrae.
