#4

The Santa Cruz Island fox is one of the many endangered species. This fox is as small as a house cat and has been around for 18,000 years. They mostly survive in the valley and foothill grasses, along with sandy dunes. They began to become endangered when pigs and hawks started to prey on them as a meal. Their species population has dropped by 95% in the last decade. But it is shown that they are starting to make a recovery, by relocating bald eagles and pigs from the area they live in, has made a significant change. These foxes have been protected by the state and federal state as they almost became extinct. These foxes play a big part in the spirituality of native Americans. These species show how evolutionary animals can be since they have been around for 18,000 years. They are used to study the biology of their mating system. Their mating and reproductive system is shown to be different from other foxes so scientists like to do studies on how to help them start reproducing more to save the species. These foxes are extremely good at adapting to their environment when needed. They have a good sense of smell and can run very fast. They also have the ability to climb trees. Their sense of smell and eye sight during day and night gives them an advantage when it comes to catching prey.