RED FOX 



great; color a beautiful golden yellow, becoming almost 

 buffy- white on face and posterior part of back; legs abruptly 

 dark fulvous; black of feet very pure but restricted in area." 

 (Merriam) Total length, males, 45 inches; tail vertebrae, 

 17 inches; hind foot, 7 inches. Found on " Northern Plains 

 from Dakota to Alberta; east to Manitoba and Minnesota; 

 limits unknown." (Merriam) 



Velox Group. Kit Foxes 



The members of this group are all small, and while belong- 

 ing to the same genus as the Red Foxes, they are colored quite 

 differently. The Kit Foxes are the smallest of the New World 

 Foxes. 



Kit Fox; Swift. — V^dpes velox velox (Say). Plate XII. 



A very small, delicately-built Fox. Upperparts buffy 

 yellow, lightly frosted with white-tipped hairs and sprinkled 

 with black-tipped hairs; yellowish brown back of ears and 

 outer sides of limbs ; a black spot on side of snout ; tail above 

 buffy gray, below, yellower, tip black, a black spot on upper- 

 side of tail near base; underparts whitish. Total length, 

 26 inches ; tail vertebrae, 9 inches ; hind foot 4 inches. Found 

 in the Great Plains region from New Mexico north into 

 Saskatchewan, Canada. 



Prairie Fox. — Viilpes velox hebes Merriam. 



Larger than typical velox and grayer. Upperparts reddish 

 gray m summer, dark buffy gray in winter; blackish on tip 

 of tail and sides of nose. Total length, 34 inches; tail ver- 

 tebras, 12.5 inches; hind foot, 5.2 inches. Found from 

 southeastern British Columbia and southwestern Saskatch- 

 ewan south to Wyoming; east into North Dakota. 



Long-eared Kit Fox.— Vulpes macrotis macrotis Merriam. 

 Color very pale, size small, ears very large. Upperparts 

 pale grayish buff; chestnut or sepia on tip of tail and small 

 spot on upperside near base; underparts buffy white, chest 

 buffy. Total length, 30 inches; tail vertebrae, 11.6 inches; 

 hmd foot, 4.8 inches. Found in southwestern California, 

 from Los Angeles County south; Lower Sonoran Zone. 



San Joaquin Kit Fox. — Vulpes macrotis mutica (Merriam). 

 Larger than typical macrotis, hind foot and tail longer, back 

 browner. Total length, 38 inches; tail vertebra, 14 inches, 

 hmd foot, 5 inches. Found in the San Joaquin Valley, 

 California; Lower Sonoran Zone. 



Desert Kit Fox. — Vulpes macrotis arsipus (Elliot). 



Differing from typical macrotis in paler color, smaller size, 

 and different cranial characters. Upperparts grizzled gray; 

 mixed pale gray and light brownish on head ; sides gray with 

 buffy tmge; black patch on sides of nose from eye and on 

 either side of chin; underparts whitish. Total length, 32.5 



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