Foxes are members of the Canidae family including jackals, wolves, and dogs. What makes these creatures different from there family members is their slender body, thin legs, and a bushy tail. There are four types of foxes in North America, red, gray, arctic, and kit foxes. Three of these foxes are found in Nevada. Nevada has a mixture of mountains, grassland, and deserts that are imperative to each fox. This article will describe the three types of foxes living in Nevada and where to find them in the state.
Red Fox
The Sierra Nevada red fox is the largest of the true foxes. The red fox lives in high-elevation reaches of Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Mountains. They are also seen in open woodlands and western regions of Nevada. This fox is an omnivore that weigh up to 15 pounds and has a life-span of 3 to 5 years. They breed between December and March and have up to 17 pups. The red fox has a slender body and legs, white an elongated snout, and white tail. The scientific name for this beautiful creature is Vulpes vulpes.
Adult red fox, vulpes vulpes, with furry tail standing on a meadow in autumn nature. Animal predator in natural environment. Alert mammal with orange fur.
©JMrocek/ via Getty Images
Kit Fox
The kit fox is the smallest species in North America. These small creatures will hunt at night to avoid the heat in the day. They have a life-span of 5 to 7 years and only weigh 5 pounds. The kit fox live in the Mojave Desert where the land is flat and there is an abundance of bushes. An interesting fact about this fox is that they rarely drink water! Their digestive tract absorbs water from the food they consume. These creatures mate between October and January and give birth about 2 months later to 4 or 5 pups. The only predators that this fox has be cautious of is the golden eagle and coyote. The scientific name for the kit fox is Vulpes macrotis. The distinguishing feature of the kit fox is that they are gray with a black tipped tail and dark patches around the nose.
This San Joaquin kit fox is nearly adult size as it runs towards it’s den site. This image was taken east of Bakersfield, California early on a summer morning.
©brentawp/ via Getty Images
Gray Fox
The scientific name for the gray fox is Urocyon cinereoargenteus and can weigh up to 15 pounds. The gray fox live in mixed forests and woodlands of Nevada. They will hide in vegetative areas and climb trees to escape predators. This nocturnal omnivore has a fluffy tail with a black stripe on the top of the tail. They are gray with a reddish under belly. This type of fox breed in the late winter to early spring time and can have up to 7 pups. The gray fox is also called the tree fox.
This California gray fox blends in with the sandy soil and green foliage high above Santa Monica Bay, the Pacific Ocean and Los Angeles. Foxes like this are reclusive urban carnivores that live in the Santa Monica Mountains with other wildlife such as bobcats and
mountain lions
.
©Jason Klassi/ via Getty Images
The photo featured at the top of this post is © JMrocek/ via Getty Images
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