These animals are found on six island of the Channel Islands of California, which is important because each island has it’s own subspecies.  They can interbreed, but there are genotype and phenotype differences, which allows them to stand apart.  Island foxes are fairly mellow and have no fear of humans, which makes it possible to tame them.  The indigenous people used to keep them as pets.  They also have a bunch of challenges to overcome, which is why they are endangered.

1. Being on isolated islands, these foxes lack the immune system for many diseases and parasites.  This is a big problem when dogs are brought over because they have diseases that can jump to the foxes.  For example, those on Catalina Island were nearly wiped out by canine distemper in 1998.  Thankfully, strong vaccine programs have been instituted and the Catalina foxes have recovered.
2. Humans have destroyed parts of their ecosystem and introduced rival predators over the years.  Work has been done to revive the damaged wilderness and reduce/remove the invasive species.  This has been met with success as well.
3. Finally, the golden eagles of the area are a big threat to island fox populations.  They used to be rare, but began showing up in the 1960’s when the bald eagle population was decimated by DDT.  With their rival weakened, the larger eagles showed up and began hunting the foxes and feral pigs.  In the 1990’s, the NPS wiped out the feral pigs thinking that they attracted the eagles to the foxes.  It may have helped a little, but restoring the bald eagle population and relocating captured golden eagles have had more of an effect.

The Channel Islands are controlled by the federal government, Catalina Island Conservancy, or Nature Conservancy.  This means the foxes are able to get the best level of protection and attention to make a full recovery.

So, what do island foxes look like?