Endangered Species Protection Program (ESPP) Vulpes macrot Threatened species The U.S.Environmental The SanJoaquinkitfoxis Program (ESPP)willhelp Endangered SpeciesProtection Protection Agency’s(EPA) Endangered speciesareplants not jeopardizethesurvival of numbers aresolowthatthey becoming extinct. may becomeendangeredinthe immediate dangerof ensure thatpesticideuse does and animalswhosepopulation and animalsthatarein an endangeredspecies listed species. future. is is mutica areplants .
B. Moose Pet erson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office ofPesticide Programs (7507P) Endangered Spec Endangered hairs. the ear’s forward-inner borderandbasehasdistinctwhite to white.Theexternalear the grizzledappearance. Thebodyundersidesvary frombuff and yellowish-grey togrizzled.Blackguardhairscontribute coats aregreyed. Thecolorswillactuallyrange frombuff, tan, season. Simply, thesummercoatsaretanandwinter The coatcolorsofSanJoaquinkitfoxes vary byrange and straight, tapersslightlytoward itsdistinctblacktip. nose isslimandpointed.Thetail,typicallycarriedlow the bodyslim,andlargeearsaresetclosetogether. The averaging 1.2incheslongand1inchwide.Thelegsarelong, are alsosmallanddistinctfromothercanidsinitsrange, America (butthelargestkitfox subspecies).Itsfoot pads The SanJoaquinkitfox isthesmallestcanidspecies inNorth and weighsabout5pounds.Thefemaleisalittlesmaller. length ofitstail).Itstands12incheshighattheshoulder, measures about32inchesinlength(ofwhich12isthe Appearance Critical Habitat Status Description andEcology Range Natural Area inSanLuisObispoCounty. Themostnortherly the ElkHillsandBuenaVista Valley andintheCarrizo Plain extant populationsareinwestern Kern Countyonand around lands withinandonthefringe ofdevelopment. Thelargest scattered remnantsofnative habitatand adoptable,altered Joaquin kitfox inhabits ahighlyfragmented landscape of of StanislausCountyremained undeveloped. Today theSan Joaquin Valley andfoothills.In1979only 6.7%oflandsouth reduced tohalf, mostlyinthesouthernandwesternSan County ontheeastside.By1930itsrange may have been Costa CountyontheValley’s westsideandtoStanislaus extended fromsouthernKern CountynorthtoeasternContra California’s SanJoaquin Valley priorto1930.Itsrange San JoaquinKitFox TheSanJoaquinkitfox inhabitedmuchof Endangered,listedMarch11,1967. Theaverage maleSanJoaquinkitfox Not designated. flap isdarkonthebacksideswhile Vulpes macrot http://www.epa.gov/espp/ is is mutica U.S. EnvironmentalProtectionAgency assist intherearing ofnextyear’s litter. disperse. Onoccasionoffspring ofeithersexmay remainto their deninthelateafternoon. When4-5monthsoldthey Joaquin kitfox isnocturnal, thepupsmay play justoutside they arealittlemorethan month old.ThoughtheSan The pupsventure outsideoftheirdenfor the lactating. The malewillprovide mostofthefemale’s foodwhilesheis and thepupswillbebornaftera48-52day gestationperiod. the puppingden.MatingcanoccurfromDecembertoMarch, In SeptemberandOctober, thefemalefocuses onpreparing may useseveral densinaseasonandchangeoften. Home ranges vary from1to12squaremiles.Eachkitfox together thefullyear butmay notnecessarily dentogether. can breedatoneyear ofage.Themaleandfemalemay stay Reproduction andLifeCycle Habitat prey-base. is minimaldisturbance,dispersalcorridors,andsuf native habitatinterspersedwithdevelopment provided there oil fields.SanJoaquinkitfoxes canusesmallremnantsof been converted tourbanareasandroads,windfarms, crops, vineyards, orchardsandpasture.Otherhabitathas has beenconverted toanagricultural patchworkofrow have wetsoilsunsuitablefordenning.Someofthehabitat alkali meadowsandplayas stillprovide supporthabitat,but and various scrubandsubshrubcommunities.Vernal pool, the Valley was largelyannualgrassland (“CaliforniaPrairie”) denning inothersoiltypes.Thehistoricalnative vegetation of modification oftheburrowsotheranimalsfacilitates type isimportant.Loose-texturedsoilsarepreferable, but for shelter, protectionandreproduction,ahabitat’s soil Contra CostaCounty. current distributionrecordsincludetheAntiochareaof ies BecausetheSanJoaquinkitfox requiresdens Facts SanJoaquinkitfoxes February 2010 first timewhen fi cient San Joaquin Kit Fox
Reproductive success depends upon prey availability. The San Joaquin Kit Fox Information Sources prey of the San Joaquin kit fox varies between the north, California ground squirr el/ John J. Mosess o, NBII Image Gallery central, and southern sections of the Valley depending upon Primary Reference Beacham, Walton, Castronova, what is most available. Prey species include California ground Frank F., and Sessine, Suzanne (eds.), 2001. Beacham’s squirrels, white-footed mice, kangaroo rats, pocket mice, Guide to the Endangered Species of North America, Gale San Joaquin antelope squirrels, black-tailed hares, desert Group, New York. Vol. I, pp. 47–50. cottontails, ground-nesting birds, chukar, and insects. Some Listing Notice U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1967. vegetation, mostly grass, is also eaten. Life expectancy is 7 or Federal Register 32. 8 years in the wild. http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/federal_register/fr18.pdf Other predators such as the red or gray foxes, coyotes, Recovery Plan U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1998. bobcats and large raptors compete with the San Joaquin kit Recovery Plan for Upland Species of the San Joaquin Valley, fox for the limited available prey. The red fox is a non-native California. 340 pp. species and is expanding its range in central California. The http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/980930a.pdf fact that it is a direct competitor and perhaps predator of the Species Account U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, kit fox may be mitigated by the negative impact on the red Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Offi ce. http://www.fws.gov/ fox by coyote. Coyotes, however, are sometimes predators of sacramento/es/animal_spp_acct/sj_kit_fox.pdf the San Joaquin kit fox as well. Carr izo Plain / © 2006 Steve Matson Recovery Plan The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) developed a recovery plan for upland species of the San Joaquin Valley, California in 1998. The San Joaquin kit fox is included in this Recovery plan. Recovery plans outline reasonable actions that FWS believes are required to recover or protect listed species. FWS prepares recovery plans, sometimes with the assistance of recovery teams, contractors, state agencies, and others. Recovery plans do not necessarily represent the views nor the offi cial positions or approvals of any individuals or agencies, other than FWS, involved in the plan formulation. Approved recovery plans are subject to modifi cation as dictated by new fi ndings, changes in species’ status, and the completion of recovery tasks.
San Joaquin kit fox family / B. Moose Pet erson, USFWS Image Library