Kit fox

The Natural History Museum of Utah describes the kit fox as distinguished from other canids by its small size, pale color and long, black-tipped tail. It lives in open habitat at lower elevations west of the Wasatch Front, with a wider range through the intermountain region of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau.

It is most common in sagebrush, shadscale and greasewood country, where it digs underground dens in sandy soil. The diet changes with the season and can include small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, fruit and other plant matter. Mating is in winter and pups are born in late winter or early spring, emerging from the den at about a month old.

Kit foxes, gray foxes and red foxes are different species, and color alone will not tell them apart. DWR lists the kit fox among its species of greatest conservation need, along with the desert tortoise and burrowing owl, in discussing wildlife crossings in southern Utah. A den is shelter and not an attraction, so use distance or a long lens and do not approach entrances.

Small fox with a pale coat and a long tail with a black tip.

Listed by DWR among species of greatest conservation need in Utah's Wildlife Action Plan.

Keep away from den entrances and watch from a distance.