Animal identifier ยท Dogs and foxes
Vulpes macrotis
Deserts of the Southwest. Large ears and a small pale body. Tiny oval tracks, about 1 to 1.5 inches.
What does a kit fox look like?
Pale gray-tan, oversized ears, black tail tip.
What do kit fox tracks look like?
A very small fox print in sand. Hard to separate from swift fox by the track alone. Range is the split: kit fox is the desert Southwest.
- Tiny oval tracks, about 1 to 1.5 inches
- Fine claw marks, often faint in sand
- Dens in open desert with several entrances
- Very large ears and a black tail tip if seen
- Scat is small and tapered
What does kit fox poop look like?
Small pointed droppings near a den. Do not handle droppings. Several species carry parasites that stay in the soil around a latrine.
Where you find it
Deserts of the Southwest. Large ears and a small pale body. Typical places: desert. Year-round where the species lives. Tracks show best in mud, sand, and snow.
What to do next
- Watch from a distance
- Do not handle droppings
- If the animal is injured or inside a building, call a local wildlife officer
This page is a field guide, not a permit to approach wildlife. If an animal is injured, aggressive, or inside a house, call a local wildlife officer.
Animals it is confused with
- Swift fox identification
- Gray fox identification
- All animal identification pages
- Identify an animal from a photo, track, or description
Where do kit foxes live?
Desert in the Southwest, including Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, western Texas, and California.
How to tell a kit fox from similar animals
Use the track, the dropping, and the place together. One print is not enough.
- Swift fox. Smaller than red fox. Small pale fox, black tail tip, large ears.
- Gray fox. Hard to separate from red fox by the print alone. Grizzled gray back, black-tipped tail with a dark dorsal stripe, rusty sides.
Kit fox field marks
- Tiny oval tracks, about 1 to 1.5 inches
- Fine claw marks, often faint in sand
- Dens in open desert with several entrances
- Very large ears and a black tail tip if seen
Where the sign shows up
Deserts of the Southwest. Large ears and a small pale body. Typical places: desert. Year-round where the species lives. Tracks show best in mud, sand, and snow.
A very small fox print in sand. Hard to separate from swift fox by the track alone. Range is the split: kit fox is the desert Southwest. Small pointed droppings near a den.
Common questions
Where do kit foxes live?
Desert in the Southwest, including Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, western Texas, and California.