The island fox is found on six of the islands in the Southern California bight, including the three largest islands in the Channel Islands National Park (Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San Miguel islands). For example, San Miguel Island foxes have shorter tails, due to one less tail vertebra, and longer noses than the other island foxes. On each of the six islands, a different subspecies occurs, distinguished by both genetic and physical differences. The face has a distinctive black, white, and rufous-colored patterns. They have gray coloring on the back, rust coloring on the sides,and white underneath. The island fox has similar markings to the gray fox. Environmental and ecological factors such as overcrowding, reduction in predators, food limitations, and genetic variations could have contributed to the natural selection for a smaller size. The island fox is one third smaller than its mainland ancestor the gray fox. Island foxes are known to scent-mark their territories with a few drops of urine and tend to concentrate scats in particular areas, often conspicuously positioned on well-traveled paths.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |