Island Fox Pups

Across the Channel Islands, island fox pups are being born. For their first months of life they look more like little brown bears than their dramatically marked parents. 

Typically, island foxes become parents in their second year, but sometimes a male or female may become a first-time parent before they are a year old.


Most island fox pairs have 2-3 pups in a litter, but a young female like our Twitter fox, Tani, might have only one pup. 


This year rainfall on the Channel Islands has been low to normal. Weather can also affect the number of pups born because rainfall can impact food resources. Annual rainfall.

island fox bringing 3 deer mice home for family, photo courtesy NPS

While female island foxes are in their dens with their new born pups, the fathers play the role of providers, bringing food to their mate and eventually the pups. 


Over the last year Friends of the Island Fox has followed Tani, an island fox character, as she grew up and became a mother herself. Join us as we follow Tani's mate, Tiptu, and get a male fox's perspective over the next few months on Twitter and Facebook. Tiptu, is "big ears" in Chumash, the local native American language. Tiptu has befriended another rare animal only found on the Channel Islands - an island scrub-jay. 


Island scrub-jays have a family structure similar to the island fox, so Jay will have insight to help his friend the island fox through his first year as a father. The island scrub-jays are nesting as well. Spring brings all kinds of new life to the Channel Islands.

An Island Fox Den

courtesy of Will Campbell

Island foxes are different from their mainland ancestors the gray fox in many ways. One of those differences is that island foxes do not dig dens. Instead they seem to look for locations that are already somewhat protective. Right now, island foxes like Tani and Tiptu are searching for a den site that is just right. (Follow the adventures of Tani and Tiptu on Twitter, in the black box at the right, and on facebook).


They might chose a den location between rocks on a hillside, under dense shrubs or a combination of the two. Because island foxes are so small, usually between 3-6 lbs., even a space under a fallen tree can make a comfortable den.


When an island fox pair comes together between December and January, they are thinking about having a family. Island fox pups born in the spring will be blind and helpless. A successful den must offer warmth and protection for the pups first 6 weeks of life. (Tani was born almost a year ago.)


Young island fox pairs, like Tani and Tiptu, do not have the experience of their parents.  They will have to learn by trial and error which locations will provide a warm, dry den site with access to nearby food.

A Radio Collar for Tani, the Island Fox!

photo courtesy of Kevin Schafer

Across the Channel Islands young island foxes are striking out on their own. They have spent the summer playing with their siblings and growing up. Their parents have taught them to hunt and find native fruit. Island fox food. Now, it is time for them to search out their own territory.

Tani, the young island fox that we have been following on Twitter, has left her parents and faced some challenges. Tani. A few days ago she tangled with another adult island fox female and was injured. Island foxes depend on the resources in their territory and they will protect their territory from other island foxes. Tani was lucky to only be injured on her ear, but the infection she suffered left her weak and vulnerable. Fortunately, on the Channel Islands biologists in the field are able to provide some medical care to wild island foxes. (Channel Islands National Park, Santa Catalina Island and the U.S. Navy islands)

When Tani received medical treatment she also was fitted with a radio collar to track her movements. The radio collar will provide information on how far she travels from her parents home range and enable biologists to understand where a young fox establishes its own territory. 

Across the islands young island foxes face challenges surviving without their parents. In the past two months several young island foxes have been hit by cars on Santa Catalina Island. Territory along roads can be attractive, but inexperienced youngsters don't know how to avoid cars. Support Watch for Foxes Signs.


This autumn Friends of the Island Fox funded our 72nd radio collar to track island foxes on the Channel Islands. Radio collars provide information on island fox movements and also alert biologists when an island fox has died. If the animal stops moving for a 6-8 hours, the collar gives off a special mortality signal. With the aid of the radio collar, biologists can locate the island fox's body and determine if the animals death marks a potential threat to other island foxes. Response to introduced disease and unexpected predation by golden eagles can happen rapidly when biologists have specific information from animals in the field. Radio collars on island foxes have helped the endangered populations on San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz and Santa Catalina Islands to make unprecedented recoveries.

photo courtesy of Kevin Pease

Tani is wearing her new radio collar and hopefully it will help biologists track her recovery and her activities as she becomes an adult island fox and establishes her own territory.

Follow Tani on Facebook and on Twitter.

Island Foxes Face Off Disease

Tani represents all of the juvenile island foxes that were born this spring (A special Island fox is Born).  As summer turns to autumn these young island foxes will venture off from their parents to begin their own lives. But before they do, they just might have a close encounter of the human kind.

Across the California Channel Islands biologists are catching island foxes in capture cages to count their numbers, replace and outfit radio tracking collars, and conduct annual health checks.

For young island foxes that means a microchip that will identify them for life. It may also mean vaccinations for canine diseases - rabies and distemper. Both of these diseases have a high mortality rate, meaning that most wild island foxes would die if they encountered them. We know this is true because the Santa Catalina Island population of island foxes declined by over 88% between 1998 and 2000 when distemper was introduced to the island. (More about Catalina Island).

Pet dogs and cats that have not been vaccinated can introduce disease to wild populations. Island species like the island fox are especially vulnerable because they have not evolved with the same diseases that animals may be exposed to on the mainland. Wild animals from the mainland can also introduce disease to island populations (see Raccoon on Catalina).

The land managers across the islands hope to vaccinate at least 60-80 island foxes on each island this autumn. The minimum (60 foxes on 6 islands) would be a total of 360 island foxes with a cost of $10 per fox. Just providing minimal disease protection to this endangered species comes with a minimum cost of $3,600. 

You can help provide a young island fox heading out into the world with a better chance of survival by supporting vaccination costs. A donation of $10 will protect an island fox from rabies and distemper. 

You can also make a positive difference by reminding friends and family that vaccinating pet dogs and cats helps protect wild animals. Disease has no sympathy, it can attack an endangered species or a beloved pet. To keep both safe, pets should stay home and leave wild animals to live in their native habitats.


See more of Tani's adventures on Facebook and @ifoxtweet on Twitter.

How Do You Count Island Foxes?

Across the Channel Islands biologists are setting special enclosure traps to catch island foxes. Each year at the end of summer traps are set-up along specific trails or grids and left open over night. In the evening hours curious or hungry island foxes find their way into the wire mesh traps.

courtesy of Channel Islands National Park

This is how island foxes are counted on each of the Channel Islands. Late summer or early fall is the best season to capture the small foxes because it is late enough in the season that fox pups are no longer nursing and early enough that adult island foxes are not yet preparing to breed for the next batch of offspring.

Before sunrise field biologists head out to check each trap. Frequently if an island fox pup is caught in the cage, biologists report that the parents may be close by, keeping an eye on their youngster. And often island fox parents will leave food, like a dead mouse or two, in front of the cage. This behavior is call "provisioning." Even though the island fox pup is caught in the capture cage, the parents will continue to try and take care of it.

The island fox pup that has been sharing its adventures on Twitter is about to experience an annual Health Check. (See the Twitter box to the right or follow Tani's adventures on FaceBook)


For MORE on an island fox's annual Health Check, LISTEN to biologist Julie King from the Catalina Island Conservancy as she does a health check on an island fox in the wild.

Follow us on @ifoxtweet on Twitter as an island fox pup grows up.

Island Fox and the Jerusalem Cricket

Island fox pups on the Channel Islands are now about 6 weeks old and about to emerge from the family den. Friends of the Island Fox's Twitter fox, Tani, is learning what to eat. Both the mother and father island fox bring food to their pups. Follow Tani's tweets in the black Twitter box on the right.


Island foxes are omnivorous, they eat both plant food and other animals. Insects are fairly easy to find and they are an important part of an island fox's diet. Jerusalem crickets are a favorite food for island foxes. This large insect can be found in the soil under native plants and it provides a protein-rich meal. Jerusalem crickets are also known as earth babies, ninõs de la tierra or potato bugs (but they don't eat potatoes).

Jerusalem cricket

The island fox, the Catalina cherry and the Jerusalem cricket all depend on each other. The island fox eats the Jerusalem cricket, but it also eats the fruit of the Catalina cherry. The seeds of this plant are too big for the finches and small birds to swallow. But the island fox does swallow some of the seeds and helps to disperse the cherry seeds across the island so new plants can grow. Fox Scat The Jerusalem cricket lives under the Catalina cherry plant and eats some of its roots and dead leaves on the ground. It is a decomposer helping create healthy soil where new plants can grow. The island fox, the Catalina cherry and the Jerusalem cricket are just a small part of the interconnected web of plants and animals on the Channel Islands.


The island fox has evolved to have very pointed teeth so it can pick up small insects. The teeth act like tweezers carefully picking up grasshoppers and crickets, while leaving twigs and leaves behind.


Island foxes also eat the native island deer mice, some small birds and their eggs. As summer comes to the island, fruit will start to play an important role in the what the foxes eat.


Follow along with Tani on Twitter or on Facebook as an island fox grows up.

Follow An Island Fox on TWITTER

Friends of the Island Fox announces the birth of Tani, a special island fox pup on Santa Cruz Island. More on Santa Cruz Island.

This island fox pup will have a voice through Friends of the Island Fox. You'll be able to follow Tani's adventures on Twitter at @ifoxtweet. See the Twitter box in the right hand column below the island fox picture or follow on the Friends of the Island Fox FaceBook page.  

Over the next year this island fox will tweet her experiences as she grows up and explores her island home.


Today Tani and her brother and sister were born in a hillside den. They are each about the size of two AA batteries. Sleep and food are their primary interests and their world revolves around their mother.


Follow @ifoxtweet on Twitter as an island fox grows up.