Why are San Joaquin Kit Foxes endangered?There are many threats to the San Joaquin Kit Foxes. One of which is climate change. Climate change causes drought that depletes their already limited resources. Although this is a big threat, the most important threat is the pesticides that farmers deposit into their plants to prevent crop lost to rodents. The pesticides then spreads to the rodents that the kit foxes prey on. As a result, many kit foxes are killed.
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Description
San Joaquin Kit foxes are one of the smallest foxes in the Vulpes genus, reaching an average size of a house cat. This makes them one of the smallest foxes in North America. San Joaquin Kit foxes have a light build, relatively large legs, ears, and a tail (usually half of their total body length). They are also characterized by their long slender legs and narrow noses on long snouts. Like other foxes in the Vulpes Genus, San Joaquin Kit Foxes have relatively large, sharp teeth. Each foot has four toes. More often than not, their tails are found low and close to the ground, rarely rising high. The tips and edges of their large, bushy tails are black while the rest of their fur coating is a tan/grey/yellow combination. However, the undersides of the foxes’ coats are white. The color of their coats changes throughout the year, ranging from a tan/yellow color in the summer to a noticeably grayer color in the winter. They also have fur on their toes and pads underneath their paws for cooling and traction to suit their hot environment.
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Sources:
http://tinmanphotoblog.com/zentravel/
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Keep-Me-Wild/Kit-Fox
http://www.defenders.org/san-joaquin-kit-fox/basic-facts
http://esrp.csustan.edu/speciesprofiles/profile.php?sp=vuma
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2013-08/documents/san- joaquin-kitfox.pdf
https://sites.google.com/site/sanjoaquinkitfoxas2011/endangered-species
Benny Chan and Vivian Huynh
http://tinmanphotoblog.com/zentravel/
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Keep-Me-Wild/Kit-Fox
http://www.defenders.org/san-joaquin-kit-fox/basic-facts
http://esrp.csustan.edu/speciesprofiles/profile.php?sp=vuma
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2013-08/documents/san- joaquin-kitfox.pdf
https://sites.google.com/site/sanjoaquinkitfoxas2011/endangered-species
Benny Chan and Vivian Huynh