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Species authority page

Kit fox

Vulpes macrotis · Furbearers

Kit fox (Vulpes macrotis): Smallest canid in North America, 1.6-2.7 kg. Exceptionally large ears (71-95 mm) set close together. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the kit fox map

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Kit fox resting on a rock ledge
Photo by Rasmus Ødegaard on Unsplash
Scientific name
Vulpes macrotis
Family
Canidae
In North America
Native
Range
Southeastern Oregon, Nevada, Utah, western Colorado, southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas, south to central Mexico.
Biology

How to identify it

Smallest canid in North America, 1.6-2.7 kg. [1][2]

Exceptionally large ears (71-95 mm) set close together. [1][2]

Yellowish to gray coat with a darker back and light underside and inner ears. [1][2]

Distinct dark patches on each side of the nose and at the tail tip. [1][2]

Compared with the swift fox: Smaller ears, broader snout, shorter tail; Great Plains range. [1][2]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Confirm a kit fox before you act. Compared with the swift fox: Smaller ears, broader snout, shorter tail; Great Plains range.[1][2]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Open desert, shrubby or shrub-grass habitat, at 400-1,900 m; also chaparral, valley grassland and some agricultural and urban areas. [1][2]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Basically nocturnal [1][2]

Spends most of its time in dens, which it digs or takes over from prairie dogs, other rodents and badgers [1][2]

Barks at perceived threats; uses a hacking growl with other foxes [1][2]

Main prey is the most abundant nocturnal rodent or lagomorph locally [1][2]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Conservation and protection

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Southeastern Oregon, Nevada, Utah, western Colorado, southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas, south to central Mexico.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30

    University of Michigan Museum of Zoology