Showing posts with label island fox research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label island fox research. Show all posts

Monday, January 19, 2026

FIF Research Grant Expands Investigation of Link Between Island Fox Genetics and Health

Friends of the Island Fox happily announces that the 2025 Research Grant was awarded to Kimberly Schoenberger to expand her investigation of connections between island fox genetics and health: Transcriptomics of the Channel Island Fox (Urocyon littoralis) through RNA-seq.

Schoenberger is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Southern California and works with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. This second year of grant support will fund RNA genetic sequencing of an additional 40 foxes from across all six Channel Islands. 

The initial 48 island foxes were all adults who had never been vaccinated. (First year of study) This second group includes juveniles and adults that had been previously vaccinated.


Health checks have revealed that San Nicolas Island foxes have similar ear mite infestation to Catalina Island foxes, but the foxes on San Nic do not develop microbial monocultures or cancerous tumors in their ears. Genetically influenced immune-system response may offer insight into why some island populations face health threats that others do not. Similar ear mite infestation with reduced microbial diversity has been found on San Clemente Island and the population there has faced survival declines in the last three years. (More on microbiome and connection to cancer in Catalina Island fox).

Examination of an island fox's ear canal with an otoscope

Schoenberger's RNA research may also provide noninvasive ways to detect dangerous amounts of internal parasites in island foxes. Examination of immune transcriptomes in dogs has shown that  increases in specific interleukins signal the presence of intestinal worms. Currently island foxes are challenged by intestinal parasites, especially spirocerca on San Nicolas Island, an ancanthocephalin on San Miguel Island, and possibly a new parasite on Santa Rosa Island.

 


Researchers like Kimberly Schoenberger are vital to healthy island fox populations. Insight from her work will help inform land managers and protect island foxes into the future. 

Your donations make FIF's support for research possible. 

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Friends of the Island Fox Research Grant 2025


Friends of the Island Fox 

is currently accepting applications through June 15 

for the FIF 2025 Research Grant

 

Download Grant Application

In 2025, Friends of the Island Fox is offering up to $7,000 in support to research projects benefiting greater understanding of the island fox and the Channel Island ecosystem.

From the genetic impacts of near extinction and specific genetic influences on health to drought impacts on fox diet and counting island spotted skunks, FIF supports research to improve the understanding of island fox survival and the complexity of the Channel Island ecosystem.

See prior grant winning projects.

It's all Science for Fox Sake!

 

Scientific data is vital for making informed conservation decisions. Your donations help gather scientific knowledge and build the next generation of scientists and field biologists. 

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

FIF Research Grant 2023

Friends of the Island is taking applications through August for the

FIF 2023 Research Grant

Download APPLICATION

From dietary investigation linked with territory use to microbes affecting island fox health, new science is revealing the complex world of island foxes and the Channel Island ecosystem.

This year FIF will be offering up to $7,000 in support toward research projects benefiting greater understanding of island foxes and the Channel Islands.

Last year's grant project is working to reveal the Spotted Skunk Genome and how the island spotted skunk is related to mainland populations.

Island spotted skunk origins may help support evolving information on how island foxes initially arrived on the Channel Islands.

More on current and past FIF Funded Research

FIF grant winners are asked to provide public updates on their work. 

See presentations by Fox Researchers for "Date with a Fox" programs

Recently published island fox science

Important island fox research is funded by DONORS LIKE YOU.

It's Science for Fox Sake! 


 


Friday, April 15, 2022

FIF Taking Applications for 2022 Research Grant


This is a GPS radio collar being prepped to be worn by an island fox this summer. Katie Elder was FIF's 2021 Research Grant recipient and she will be investigating territory size on Santa Rosa Island. More on her work

Friends of the Island Fox is taking applications for our 2022 FIF Research Grant now through August 29, 2022.

Application

What will you uncover about island foxes?

Research in island fox ecology is an investment in the future and island fox survival. Not only is this work important for island foxes and the Channel Islands, but also for other endangered species with small population sizes in confined geographic habitats. An island doesn't have to be surrounded by water, it can be a confined habitat surrounded by desert, a city, or some other physical barrier.

Population viability calculations used for island foxes have been applied to the Sierra Nevada red fox.


See more on Current FIF Funded Research Projects

Recently published island fox discovery 

Discussion on island foxes and island spotted skunks

Update on island fox microbiome research


Tuesday, April 05, 2022

Island Foxes and Beach Foods


In 2018 Juliann Schamel was the recipient of Friends of the Island Fox's first Research Grant. Her investigation of island fox diet through stable isotopes in whiskers has evolved and deepened to look for connections between diet and surviving drought conditions. 

In 2019 FIF continued to fund Schamel's research as she followed the foxes and the potential of "beach foods" in their diet. It is no coincidence that the island fox above is in a beach area. 


If you look closely at the pile of kelp washed up on the beach, or "beach wrack," you'll see island fox foot prints all around it.

photo courtesy of Nick Schooler, UCSB
Combining her stable isotope research with collaborators at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Schamel has revealed that some island foxes are making use of food resources connected to sandy beaches. Tiny arthropods called "beach hoppers" live in the sand and emerge to eat the kelp that washes up on the beach. Look closely and you will see a group of them feeding on the edge of the kelp blade pictured. 

Some island foxes are eating these tiny, quick moving creatures. If you've turned over a clump of beach wrack and seen little hopping critters, commonly referred to as sand fleas, you've seen beach hoppers. They are not fleas at all; they are more closely related to shrimp.

Juliann Schamel recently presented a poster at the 2022 Wildlife Society Conference. POSTER

And her paper Diet of a threatened endemic fox reveals variation in sandy beach resource use on California Channel Islands with Henry M. Page, Marine Science Institute, UCSB, et. al. was published in PLOS ONE. Read the Paper

Your support for FIF helped fund this important research. The island fox and the beach hopper demonstrate an intertwining of terrestrial and marine ecosystems on the Channel Islands.

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Island Fox Microbiome at the Smithsonian!

FIF's 2020 Research Grant recipient Dr. Alexandra DeCandia recently spoke about her work investigating the island fox microbiome

Watch the video of the program

Here's a behind the scenes look at her process extracting the DNA of different microbes from the island fox swab samples.

Dr. Allie reports: 

I inventoried over 800 swabs and over 300 blood samples collected from Channel Island foxes and island spotted skunks in 2020. I then extracted DNA and prepared samples for microbiome sequencing (a process called "library preparation"). The last step of the library preparation is cleaning the library–in essence, removing all of the DNA fragments that I don't want to ultimately sequence.


Although it may seem like a straightforward process, this took a bit of troubleshooting. After a few failed attempts, I worked with the lab manager at the Smithsonian National Zoo's Center for Conservation Genomics to learn how to run an "eGel". In this approach, you put your library in an agarose gel (which looks like a think rectangle of gelatin), run an electrical current through the gel to separate DNA fragments based on size...


(under UV light, the fragments look like glowing bands of the gel), and then pull out the band you want to sequence (in my case, fragments roughly 400 base pairs in length).


Then the DNA had to be treated to remove "gel particles and other potential contaminants."

Overall, this was a nerve-wracking process, but thankfully it worked!

Dr. Allie has submitted all seven sequencing libraries to the Princeton University Genomics Core Facility for sequencing. She reported on some preliminary findings during her "Date with a Fox" presentation. This is Fox Science at work! 

Your donations support this cutting-edge science that will provide important information regarding island fox health.  

Swab collection continues.

What is a microbiome? and Why is this important for island foxes?

Friday, November 19, 2021

FIF Research Grant to Investigate Island Fox Territory Size


Friends of the Island Fox is happy to announce Kathleen "Katie" Elder is the recipient of the FIF 2021 Island Fox Research Grant. 

island fox with GPS collar
In conjunction with the Biological Sciences Department of California Polytechnic University (CA Poly), San Luis Obispo, and Channel Islands National Park, Elder will be investigating territory size for individual male island foxes on Santa Rosa Island. This project will replicate and expand on a Santa Rosa study done in 2009–2010 using specially adapted GPS radio-tracking collars. Twelve years ago, Santa Rosa Island foxes were just starting to recover, with an estimated population size of 389 individuals. The GPS-collared male island foxes were calculated to have a territory size on Santa Rosa of 3.39 square kilometers (Drake et al. 2015).

Two island fox populations, which have not encountered recent population declines–San Nicolas and San Clemente Islands–have been found to have vastly different territorial sizes: 

  • San Nicolas Island (2005–2006) 1.81 square kilometers (Powers 2009)
  • San Clemente (2010–2011) .42 square kilometers (Sanchez 2012)

In the fall of 2020, Santa Rosa Island was home to an estimated 2,657 island foxes. As the population has recovered fully, have territory sizes decreased? 

island fox on Santa Rosa Island, courtesy Tim Bean

Elder will be investigating whether the density of the island fox population impacts territory size and/or the extent of fox territory overlap. She'll also be looking at whether habitat quality is a factor in territory size or territory use during different parts of the day. Are there some habitat areas, like beaches, that are included in the territory of multiple foxes? How do these territorial animals manage areas of overlap? Do they access overlapping areas at different times of the day? Are individuals with inland territories venturing to beaches occasionally? Beach areas provide supplemental food resources, but also may be primary zones for contact with introduced species and disease vectors.

Understanding territory size, overlap, and use, impacts island fox management. Territory-size data plays a role in the algorithms for calculating overall island population estimates. If the data on territory size is outdated, population estimates could be over- or understated. If specific habitats or areas are more important to island fox success, identifying those areas will help secure targeted protections. Identifying areas where island foxes are more likely to encounter threats, may also help us find ways to reduce those negative impacts.

If you are an FIF donor, 

you are making this important work possible.

 

If you haven't donated yet, Please Donate 

It's Science, For Fox Sake!

  

More about FIF funded Research 

References:

Drake, E.M., B.L. Cypher, K. Ralls, J. D. Perrine, R. White, and T. J. Coonan.  2015. The Southwestern Naturalist. 60:247-255

 Sanchez, J. N. 2012. Spatial ecology of disease spread in the island fox. M.S. thesis, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California.

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Estimating Island Fox Age Using Cementum Rings In Teeth

Slides of tooth specimens - S. Baker

In October 2019, Friends of the Island Fox funded a research study by Stacy Baker and Juliann Schamel, via a donation from Safari West, to investigate the use of cementum analysis as a method to determine island fox age at death. The results are in and the answer is, well mostly yes, but...

To conduct the analysis 31 teeth from island foxes, whose age was known when they died, were sent off for testing. Of the 31 samples, 28 were aged accurately to within 1 year of their known age, two teeth were underestimated by 3 years and one was underestimated by 4 years. This underestimation primarily occurred with older foxes.

plot of accuracy in aging island foxes using tooth cementum, S. Baker 2021

The data suggests that for younger and middle age foxes–up to approximately age 7–cementum analysis can provide an accurate assessment of age at the time of death. (A more accurate assessment than estimating age by tooth wear.) For more senior island foxes, however, the accuracy of the method drops significantly. 

What are the factors that led to a misread of the older fox teeth? 

According to Baker, the study's principal scientist: "Tooth condition may perhaps play a role, as two of those teeth out of four were determined to be of lower quality for aging according to the Matson's Lab. This also may be unavoidable, since broken and decayed teeth become more prevalent as individuals age." (Matson's Laboratory in Manhattan, Montana, specializes in aging mammals using teeth.) With the limited sample size from the older fox population, more analysis is warranted to tease out the factors that may play a role in the reading error. In the wild, foxes are known to live 10–12 years on some islands. (K Dearborn personal communication)

Friends of the Island Fox is committed to research that will expand understanding of island fox biology and behavior. The more we know about island foxes, the more we can protect their future. It's Science for Fox Sake! - Mike Watling, FIF President

Full Report: Using Cementum Annuli to Estimate Age in Island Foxes by S. Baker, 2021 

This research project was made possible through Friends of the Island Fox, a donation from Safari West, and in partnership with the National Park Service, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, and UC Davis.

Friday, August 13, 2021

Island Foxes and Island Spotted Skunks Sharing Space On Santa Cruz Island

 (Thank you to our guest blogger Calypso N. Gagorik, MS in Biology, Northern Arizona University)


On the California Channel Islands, the island fox (Urocyon littoralis) has been hypothesized to compete with the smaller-bodied island spotted skunk (Spilogale gracilis amphiala). Recent declines in spotted skunk captures have led to concerns on population viability and what role the foxes may have played in the decline.

(Calypso worked in the field on Santa Cruz Island with fellow researcher Victor Zhang.

From 2018–2019, we GPS and VHF collared foxes and spotted skunks living on Santa Cruz Island to assess space use and deployed remote cameras to examine interactions between the two species at spotted skunk den sites. We also explored monitoring tools for spotted skunk detection with emphasis on remote camera placement and use of scent stations.

We found fox and spotted skunk seasonal home ranges were much larger than previously reported on Santa Cruz Island and spotted skunks moved around the landscape differently compared to foxes.  

Spotted skunks showed restricted movement, using less than 50% of their home range over shorter time periods such as a week or month. Foxed moved widely through the landscape covering more than 50% of their home range over the course of a week. During this time, we collected the first photo evidence that foxes may be disturbing resting sites of spotted skunks during the day. We also found that remote cameras placed on drainage bottoms may be more effective in detecting skunks. We discourage the use of scents at camera stations as foxes appear to be monopolizing the stations by repeated marking.

Our knowledge and understanding of spotted skunk ecology are still limited due to the many challenges of studying a cryptic species. We encourage further studies be conducted on spotted skunks, particularly focusing on interactions of foxes and spotted skunks at den sites.

Calypso Gagorik, MS Biology

Read the full thesis: Spacial Use Patterns And Management Recommendations For Two Endemic California Channel Island Mesocarnivores, The Island Spotted Skunk (Spilogale gracilis amphiala) and the Island Spotted Skunk (Urocyon littoralis)

Friends of the Island Fox provided financial assistance to this research project. 

The deadline for the FIF 2021 Research Grant is August 31, 2021 

More Island Fox Research

Friday, April 23, 2021

Investigating the Relationship Between Island Foxes and Island Spotted Skunks


Islands typically support few terrestrial, or ground-living, carnivores due to the challenges of traveling over water to arrive on islands. On Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands we have the rare occurrence of  two insular carnivores: the island fox and the island spotted skunk (Spilogale gracilis amphialus).


How the skunk got to the islands remains unclear, yet evidence has shown they have existed with the foxes for at least 7,000 years. (Fox arrival on the islands)

The spotted skunk and island fox are rivals, competing for the same resources in the form of aggression and predation. Averaging 3–4 lbs on the northern islands, the island fox is the larger and more dominate species. Island spotted skunks are about half the size. However, there is little understanding of when and where these two species interact.


In 2020, Friends of the Island Fox provided some funding to aid in a better understanding of the activity pattern of skunks and foxes on Santa Cruz Island. (More on FIF Research Grants)

Modern Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) collar technology can now capture additional information from wildlife that was not previously accessible–including accelerometers, which measure the forces of active movement. In this study, several foxes and skunks were fitted with GPS and accelerometer enabled collars to map the movement of each species with the aim of revealing the environmental factors that are most important in driving the fox's activity, such as changes in temperature, reproduction, and/or competition.

Researcher Calypso Gagorik with island spotted skunk

Calypso Gagorik, the project's principle investigator, says: "Given that the spotted skunks are strictly nocturnal, the chance of fox-skunk encounters may be entirely driven by changes in daily fox activity patterns."

skunk radio collar

The map below shows the GPS data points of one spotted skunk and one island fox that have overlapping home ranges. (Red dots represent island fox locations and Blue indicators are island spotted skunk locations. Skunk locations are taken less frequently because the batteries on their collars are considerably smaller. Each GPS location mark requires battery use.) What still needs to be analyzed is whether the fox and skunk were active at the same time of the day.

 


The importance of this research according to Gagorik, is "if foxes and skunks utilize similar area, but are active at totally different times, then the chance of interspecific interactions may actually be quite low." In other words, an island fox might visit a water source during the day, while the island spotted skunk might drink from the same location at night.

Researcher Victor Zhang with spotted skunk

Previous accelerometer data that was collected in 2019 have informed Gagorik and, fellow researcher, Victor Zhang "that the timing of daily fox activity varies greatly across the year, and the current analyses (completion summer 2021) will aim to reveal the environmental factors that are most important in driving changes in fox activity timing." Island foxes may be hunting prey at night during the winter and feeding on fruit during the day in summer. Gagorik adds, "Knowledge of these relationships will allow us to better predict the behavioral responses of both species to environmental change, as well as generate new knowledge on fox and skunk ecology." (Calypso Gagorik, email communication).

Previous data has shown that foxes occupy a flexible niche within the island community. They possess the ability to take advantage of the various habitat types, which make up the Channel Islands. On the other hand, the island spotted skunk may have a more specialized niche driven by fox activity.

Friends of the Island Fox is committed to research that will expand understanding of island fox biology and behavior. The more we know about island foxes the better we will ensure a future for both species.

 

"Examining temporal niche and movement patterns of the island fox (Urocyon littoralis) and the island spotted skunk (Spilogale gracilis amphiala) on Santa Cruz Island, CA" was investigated by Calypso Gagorik and Victor Zhang in conjunction with Northern Arizona University and under the supervision of The Nature Conservancy.

FIF is accepting applications for our 2021 Research Grant thru August 31, 2021

Friday, April 02, 2021

Fox Foto Friday - Island Foxes in Washington D.C.?

What smells like an island fox? Came from an island fox? But is contained on the tip of a cotton swab? A sample of island fox microbiome.

Island fox being swab with cotton swab

Friends of the Island Fox recently heard from FIF 2020 Research Grant recipient, Alexandria DeCandia, Ph.D.

DeCandia wrote "I wanted to let you know that microbiome samples from all six islands have arrived on the east coast :)" Swabs taken from island foxes during health checks have been transferred to a lab in Washington D.C. She added, "I'm very much looking forward to the next steps of this research!"


FIF's Research Grant is funding the DNA analysis of the swabs to get a picture of the biodiversity of microbes living on and in island foxes.

What Is She Looking For?

DeCandia's research is cutting edge science. Her early analysis of Catalina Island foxes led to some important findings on the possible relationships between bacteria in island fox ear canals and a tendency toward extreme immune system response to ear mites. This next stage of research builds on that work.

Maintaining healthy island foxes across the islands requires greater in depth understanding of their health, diet, position in the ecosystem, and interactions with other species, including humans. 

Friends of the Island Fox invests in research to invest in the island fox's future. Applications for the FIF 2021 Research Grant will be available April 15, 2021.

Friday, January 29, 2021

Fox Foto Friday - Island Foxes Healthy Inside and Out

 

While we're all stuck at home, the word from the islands is that island foxes are thriving. Across the Channel Islands biologists are reporting healthy looking individuals and a fair number of pups.

2020 was a normal rain year with a hot summer. Populations may have adjusted down from the record highs of 2019, but that is to be expected. The rains across the islands this week, will help increase resources for island foxes throughout 2021. What do island foxes eat?

During 2020 health checks, island foxes on Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, San Clemente, and San Nicolas joined their cousins on Santa Catalina by being swabbed for their microbiome. Samples have arrived at the lab for DNA analysis. Find out more about Dr. DeCandia's island fox microbiome research.

To survive into the future, island foxes need to be healthy inside and out. That's why FIF is helping investigate the biodiversity in the microbes and bacteria on their skin and throughout their bodies.

Friday, November 20, 2020

Fox Foto Friday - A Slice of Fox Science

What is it?

 

This is a microscope slide with thin slices from the canine tooth of a deceased island fox. 

Researchers Stacy Baker and Juliann Schamel are looking at these thin slices through a canine tooth to see if they can discern annual growth layers. If so, this could provide an accurate way to age island foxes at death. Why is that important?

The sample slides from individual island foxes have come back from the lab in Montana. See more on the process and the annual layers.

Baker and Schamel will be analyzing the specimen slides from individuals with known ages. If the layers align with known ages, they will look at the specimens from individuals like M152 to try and determine how old these individual foxes were at death.

This important work is funded by Friends of the Island Fox through a grant from Safari West.

More about island fox research funded by Friends of the Island Fox and donors like you.

2020 FIF Research Grant recipient 

What We Do - FIF Research projects

Friday, August 28, 2020

Fox Foto Friday - It's Research

 It's Research For Fox Sake!

 

This is an up close image of tiny bits of island fox whisker in a mini aluminum specimen holder. The micro-sample of whisker is on it's way to a mass spectrometer for analysis. Find out more about Juliann Schamel's research project with FIF.

The deadline to apply for FIF's 2020 Research Grant is August 31, 2020. 

Grant Application information

We're looking for research to support!

Friday, July 17, 2020

Good News for Island Foxes From Tick-Testing Research

tick on island fox's lower eye lid
When can you put the words "tick" and "good news" in the same sentence? When test results come back negative!

In 2017, the occurrence of Lyme disease, and a related tick-borne disease, on a few Channel Islands raised concerns for island foxes and people. Working with the Catalina Island Conservancy and Channel Islands National Park, Friends of the Island Fox received a grant from the Fresno Chaffee Zoo Wildlife Conservation Fund to investigate parasites threatening island fox health.

tick sample ready to go to the lab

small tick on the back of island fox ear
Throughout the summer and fall of 2018, tick samples were collected from island foxes on Catalina Island by CIC biologists. These samples went to Northern Arizona University for analysis. 

A total of 159 ticks (mostly western black-legged ticks, Ixodes pacificus) were analyzed and NONE were found to be carrying Lyme disease (Borrelia spp. burgdorferi) or Anaplasmosis (Anaplasma phagocytophilum).

This is fantastic news for island foxes and for people visiting Catalina. The finding also provides a baseline for the future in case an occurrence of either disease occurs on Catalina Island.

Research and data-based conservation is keeping island foxes safe. Your donations help FIF advance scientific knowledge about island foxes and their ecosystem.

Friends of the Island Fox is accepting applications for our 
2020 Research Grant through August 31, 2020. 

For more information and an application form

Monday, April 27, 2020

Gathering Specimens For Island Fox Tooth Research

In 2019 Friends of the Island Fox supported a research project investigating whether cementum ring structures in teeth could be used to accurately determine island fox age at death. Research Project by Stacy Baker and Juliann Schamel.

Baker and Schamel updated us on their progress mid-March 2020.

"We went up to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History last week to collect teeth from the first seven skulls that they are processing for their collection," Schamel wrote in mid-March. An additional five skulls have since been processed.


The researchers explained that the island fox skulls came from Dr. Leslie Woods and the CA Animal Health and Food Safety Lab at UC Davis, which is responsible for conducting necropsies on island foxes when they die on the Channel Islands. These specimens are vital for biologists to understand cause of death, as well as underlying health problems. When an island fox dies, a necropsy (similar to an autopsy for a human) examines organs and tissues in detail to understand the cause of death. Necropsies are vital to identifying disease or any other threat, which might endanger other island foxes. The bodies of these individual animals are stored in special freezers at UC Davis to preserve tissue samples for future scientific investigations, like the tooth project.

During the final stages of the preservation process, cleaned skulls are soaked in cold water for several days. The researchers explain that "At that point in the process, the teeth are very loose and easy to pull out..." A single lower canine tooth was extracted from each skull. Once all of the skulls have been processed, Schamel added, "I think we will be ready to send all the teeth to Matson's Laboratory in Montana!"

See Mike Watling's story for more on how each tooth will be processed.

The plot below shows how fox age estimated by tooth wear does not always match-up with actual island fox age.


We know the actual age of island foxes that are micro-chipped as pups. Biologists performing health checks in the field, however, do not have access to this age information when they are examining individual foxes. They estimate the fox's age by the amount of wear on its teeth. This estimate puts the fox in one of five categories: 
  • Age Class 0 - pup to 1 year
  • Age Class 1 - young adult
  • Age Class 2 - adult
  • Age Class 3 - mature adult
  • Age Class 4 - senior
The plot above shows data from 1300 exams of island foxes compared with their known ages. The larger the dot the more individuals fell into each category. The more you examine this plot the more you will see. For example: a 4-year-old island fox was almost as likely to be estimated as Age Class 3 as Age Class 2. A few 4-year-olds were estimated as Age Class 1 or Age Class 4. What do you see in the plot for island foxes that are 6 years old? Is tooth wear a reliable way to estimate island fox age? 

This data shows why the cementum research is so important. Island foxes live longer and eat a different diet from the southeastern gray foxes for which the tooth-wear age classes were originally designed.


This project also highlights the broad scientific community involved in researching island foxes. Biologists from Channel Islands National Park are working with the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum, UC Davis, and Matson's Laboratory in Montana, which specializes in cementum age analysis of mammal teeth. Science brings people together.

As this research project moves forward FIF will keep you updated on the findings. Scientific data is vital to making informed conservation decisions that maintain sustainable populations of island foxes.

Friends of the Island Fox invites biologists, ecologists, and other researchers to contribute to our understanding of island foxes. Applications for the FIF Research Grant 2020 are now available.

The island fox cementum analysis research project was made possible through a donation from Safari West.

Your Donations Help Make Research Possible