Island fox Urocyon littoralis Near threatened
Where the island fox lives – recorded in 2 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.
Pin and shaded countries are approximate. The pin is a representative wild sighting (a central record among 555 open-licence GBIF records), not an official range. Method · Records on GBIF · See foxes, jackals & wild dogs on the world map
| Scientific name | Urocyon littoralis |
|---|---|
| Group | Foxes, jackals & wild dogs |
| Status | Near threatened (Wikidata, IUCN category label) |
| Found in | 2 countries |
| Continents | North America |
| Class | Mammal |
| Order | Carnivora |
| Family | Canidae |
Where does the island fox live?
Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the island fox in 2 countries and territories across North America.
Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.
Is the island fox endangered?
The island fox’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Near threatened” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.
What kind of animal is the island fox?
The island fox (Urocyon littoralis) is a mammal in the order Carnivora and the family Canidae, genus Urocyon. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)
About the island fox
The island fox (Urocyon littoralis) is a small fox species that is endemic to six of the eight Channel Islands of California. They evolved from their larger mainland gray fox ancestor (U. cinereoargenteus) and have diversified into six subspecies, each confined to its own island and all exhibiting insular dwarfism. Island foxes are generally docile, show little fear of humans, and are easily tamed. Island foxes have played an important role in the spiritual lives of native Channel Islanders. They were likely semi-domesticated as pets, for their pelts, or other functions, like pest control. Genetic and archaeological evidence suggests that the foxes arrived on the islands around 7,000 years ago, probably with the assistance of early human populations.
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Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Island fox (revision 1373720903), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q722180 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).
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