A small fox of the North American grasslands, marked by black patches beside the muzzle and a black tail tip.
It has a small body, black patches on each side of the muzzle and a black tail tip.
From 2018 to 2020, researchers used cameras at 381 unique sites in western Kansas. The fox was photographed 341 times in 71 of 1,096 site-year surveys. A separate detection model included day of year, scent-lure strength, camera-view disturbance and survey year.
Fox occupancy was more likely where native grassland and loamy tableland soils were more common, and less likely with more CRP cover and landscape heterogeneity. The team combined occupancy predictions with survival information, areas having at least 62% native grass within a one-kilometre moving window, and a published 15-km mean dispersal distance. Isolated grassland patches beyond that connection distance were removed before priority areas were mapped.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The western Kansas model identified 2,377,193 ha of priority native grassland and 84,420 ha of high-priority grassland for swift foxes. Privately owned working lands made up 98% of both classes. The authors point to conservation easements and incentive-based programs as possible ways to work with landowners. The result is a regional model combining 2018–2020 surveys with previously published survival and dispersal information.