Fox Foto Friday - Meeting Up Island Fox Style

Island fox or human, it can be tricky to get to know someone new right now. A wildlife trap camera on Santa Rose Island captured these images of two island foxes meeting on a pathway.

A quick sniff can tell an island fox a lot about another fox. The female on the left is figuring out if she knows this male. Has she detected his scent before or is he a newcomer to her area? She can evaluate his health and what he's been eating in a sniff.

The two island foxes also communicate to each other through their physical stance. Tail and ears up - she is being friendly. Head down and tail at a medium height, he is letting her take the lead.

Both of these island foxes look healthy and well fed. Notice the female is also wearing a radio-tracking collar. Biological technicians on the islands are monitoring this female island fox. During summer counting, we may learn whether or not this meeting led to pups. 

Island foxes know all about epidemic disease. COVID-19 does not impact dogs or island foxes, but other viruses are a serious threat to them. Find out more about the current threat from canine distemper.

Island foxes on Catalina Island survived a catastrophic epidemic from 1998–2000.   

Island Foxes With a Sweet Tooth

What is that island fox doing?

On a December trip to Santa Cruz Island several observers documented a number of island foxes busily searching the ground under the eucalyptus trees.

courtesy of Douglas E. Welch

Initially we thought they were finding food debris left by campers, but the more we watched the more it became apparent that the island foxes were licking something on the leaf litter. The December day was unusually warm and dry. (This was while the Thomas Fire in Ventura was blazing.) We watched foxes in close proximity to each other completely engaged in their search and paying no attention to us or each other. At one point there were seven foxes in this small area. -
Douglas Welch

bloom after island fox licked it

The red gum eucalyptus trees were in bloom. One young island fox stood on its hind legs and pulled down a low branch so it could access the flowers. One at a time, it stuck it's muzzle into the eucalyptus blooms, licking and nibbling them. I've been visiting Santa Cruz for over 10 years. I've never seen this behavior before. - Keri Dearborn 

Little beads of sticky sap were on the tables and benches. I touched my finger to the sap and tapped it on my tongue–it was sweet.  - Michael Lawshe

One island fox wandered within several feet of me. Each time it found a drop of sweet sap, it would lick it up and make a soft sound, almost like a purr. - Keri Dearborn
 
On this dry hot day in December, the island foxes were licking up the sweet eucalyptus sap. While this is not known to be a typical behavior, it is another example of the adaptive nature of these unique canines. Typical island fox diet. Island foxes eating toyon berries that same day.

Island Fox Behavior in 2017

courtesy of K. Schafer

In 2017, visitors to the Channel Islands have the opportunity to see something that was rare just a few years ago: wild island foxes interacting with each other.

When island foxes faced extinction in 2000, surviving individuals were brought into captive breeding facilities. From 2000-2006, seeing an island fox was a momentous occasion. Since 2008, all island foxes have been returned to the wild (with the exception of a few in mainland zoos). As the populations recovered across the islands, the opportunity to see island foxes hunting and interacting with each other has increased. (seeing island fox behavior on Santa Cruz Island 2015).

Witnessing interactive behavior between island foxes is a gift provided by the successful recovery of this once endangered species. Here are some of the behaviors we saw in late May:

Vocalization: Yes, island foxes vocalize. They bark, growl, and pups make soft whimpering and eecking sounds. 

• Barks are typically high pitched and evenly spaced. Barks may be repeated multiple times. In the distance, we heard an island fox bark eleven times in a row. This vocalization is used to warn an interloper that they have trespassed on an individual's territory. Island foxes may bark at each other or, occasionally, at humans. If an island fox barks at you, you are too close. Hear an island fox barking.
• The Growl of an island fox is low and soft. Typically this sound is used to warn off another island fox that has approached too close. We saw an island fox curled up sleeping by the side of a dry creek bed. A second island fox approached it, coming within five feet. The fox laying down, growled at the approacher. The second fox stopped, turned around, and went the other direction.
• Pup Sounds are typically only heard by parent foxes. The following pup vocalizations were recorded at the Santa Barbara Zoo from a pup that was abandoned by its parents. Hear island fox pup vocalization

Aggressive Territorial Behavior: Island foxes are very territorial. (Territory size) Living on an island with limited resources means quality territory is vital to survival. A pair of island foxes mates for life to protect their territory and the resources needed to feed themselves and their offspring. Challenges over territory can occasionally lead to aggressive behavior.

• Vocalizations (see above) are used to warn other foxes and avoid physical confrontation.
• Chasing can occur when an island fox intrudes into the territory of another island fox or pair. We saw one adult island fox chasing another adult island fox out of the campground area.
• Physical Altercations can occur between island foxes, especially over territory. Island foxes with floppy ears are typically older individuals who have had altercations with other island foxes. The cartilage of the external ear can be damaged by bites or twisting from other foxes. Over time, repeated damage leads to ears that flop down or may even be torn off. Bites to legs are also frequent injuries. Limping island foxes are often individuals that have been bested in a squabble.

island fox with damage to ear caused by another island fox

parent island fox with two pups

Affiliative Behavior: Island foxes are family oriented and pair bonded. They demonstrate caring and friendly behavior to family members. Female offspring remain in the same area as their parents and on occasion friendly behavior may occur between adult offspring and their parents or siblings.

• Care for Pups includes teaching pups to hunt and find food. It is not unusual during the summer to see an adult island fox leading a younger island fox around, showing them where to find specific food resources. Parents lick pups to groom them and also accept playful pounces from youngsters. Parents may discipline a misbehaving pup with a warning snarl, lifting the lips to show the teeth. The pup will show submission by lowering the head and body, flattening the ears, and licking the chin of the parent. Island Fox Pups
• Familial Recognition or recognizing family members is a behavior that is being seen more as fox families build generations. This May we saw a young adult island fox (1-2 years old) approach an elder island fox sleeping curled up along the dry creek bed. The younger fox came right up to the older fox and sniffed it. The older fox did not growl or demonstrate any aggressive behaviors and the younger fox did not try to chase the old fox or intimidate it in any way. This interaction was completely different from the aggressive behavior seen between two other adults on the same day (see The Growl above). Do island foxes continue to recognize family members throughout their life and maintain friendly behavior toward them? (See - Two adult island foxes meet) This is definitely an area that needs further research. 

island fox pup shows submissive behavior to parent

It is exciting that there are questions to be researched regarding island fox behavior. If we had lost the island foxes on Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Catalina Islands seventeen years ago, we would have also lost the opportunity to know this species better, to understand how it behaves, and how island isolation has changed its behavior from the mainland gray fox.

Observing Channel Island Fox Behavior on Santa Cruz Island

Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

Participants in the Friends of the Island Fox trip to Santa Cruz Island on June 20th had a beautiful day and an opportunity to observe behavior between individual wild Channel Island foxes. Fifteen years ago, when this subspecies of Channel Island fox was facing extinction, such an opportunity was unthinkable.

The island foxes on Santa Cruz Island have made a strong recovery. A baby boom of foxes occurred on Santa Cruz between the fall count in 2007 and 2009. The population jumped from 350 to 1,200. Adult survivorship has been very high, which means we are seeing an increasing number of island foxes between the ages of 5 and 8 years old. These are mature individuals. Island foxes are believed to be in their prime between 2-5 years of age and are estimated to live 8-10 years in the wild.

This trip two elderly animals were noticeable by their broken-down ears and minor injuries to legs and tails. These injuries were most likely inflicted by younger adult island foxes protecting territory. The campground offers an area where infirm animals can potentially find resources, while having some protection from other foxes. 

We observed this older island fox lying down on the ground between campsites where people were active at tables. His coloring camouflaged him well in the dappled shade.

When some campers left their site, a healthy adult island fox checked out their table area. We watched as the slightly larger, but older animal, approached. We didn’t know what to expect.

Submissive behavior of elderly island fox toward another adult.

However, when the older fox got within five feet of the table area, it lowered its head submissively to the younger animal. The younger fox did not chase the older animal or show aggression, yet it physically communicated to the older fox not to approach any closer. Without any direct contact, the older fox was sent off into the bushes.

photo courtesy of Daniel Mekonnen, 2015

We saw 8 - 10 adult island foxes (none were radio-collared individuals). 

We watched island foxes searching for food, retrieving figs, and eating them (Check out the video by Douglas Welch). (The fox jumps up into a shrub at ~2:48) A large percentage of the Santa Cruz Island fox’s diet is fruit.

We’ll have more on the status of the Santa Cruz Island fox in an upcoming Island-by-Island Update. At the Island Fox Conservation Working Group meeting, biologists from The Nature Conservancy reported that a female island fox, born during captive breeding on Santa Cruz, recently passed away at age 12. She is the oldest wild island fox scientifically documented on Santa Cruz Island. Biologists were able to accurately date her age and follow her life because of her ID microchip.

We also had a fantastic encounter with common dolphins on our boat ride home. Hundreds of these colorful dolphins were feeding and swimming right next to us. Look closely and you will see a youngster swimming beside its mother. We saw numerous young dolphins.  (Video of the common dolphins by Douglas Welch).

More photos of the Friends of the Island Fox Trip to Santa Cruz Island:

• Panoramas of Santa Cruz Island by Douglas Welch
• Blog Post with Trip photos by Douglas Welch
• 1-Minute Trip Overview by TheEarthMinute.com

A special thank you to trip participants Eric Gotthelf, Douglas Welch, Michael Solomon and Daniel Mekonnen for their photos.