Species: Vulpes velox
Dimensions: 30 cm (Height), 80 cm (Length) x 3 kg
The swift fox is the smallest of the wild dogs living in North America. According to WWF, this is a very endangered species as naturalists think there are currently only 350 individuals. Many of them seem to be located in Southeast Alberta and Southwest Saskatchewan.
Originally, swift foxes lived from the plains of Western Canada to Texas. They almost disappeared in the 1930s due to human hunters and natural predators, but some organizations managed to reintroduce the population.
As the name says, the swift fox is absolutely swift and it can reach speeds of over 50 km/h. This quality helps the foxes to catch food and avoid predators. Another important aspect of the swift foxes is that they seek shelter in burrows in order to be protected from predators.
Swift foxes in LoA are among the smartest and fastest animals, but they are also fragile and extremely vulnerable to bigger predators.