- The fur color of the Swift Fox had different shadings of and tanned orange color. Some were greyer than orange and some were redder. This difference, in my opinion, is a continuous variation because there are a large variety of different shades/colors that a Swift Fox can have. ***Did you know that the Swift Fox's fur gets shorter and redder in the summer? ***
- The size of a Swift Fox is different with every individual. The older they get, the more they grow, and the bigger they get. This is definitely a continuous variation. There is a large variety of sizes starting from the smallest to the largest.
- Swift Foxes all have different shaped faces. Some look fiercer while some look more cute and adorable. Some have larger eyes, and some have smaller ones. Some have a more of a pointed nose than others. These would all be continuous variations because there each individual never has the same looking face, which is why there is a large range of variety.
- All of the paw footprints of every Swift Fox are different. This is a continuous variation because of this wide range.
- The weight of a male Swift Fox is in a range of 2.25-2.45 kg. If this were to be true, this difference would be discrete, because the range from 2.25-2.45 kg is not very large.
- Each Swift Fox (if fully grown) can run 60km/h. ***Did you know that the smaller (as in size) a Swift Fox is, the faster in can run?*** This is a discrete variation because most foxes can only run a little bit more than 60km/h which doesn't make a wide range of the speed a Swift Fox can run.
- Swift Foxes have different colored eyes. Most foxes have greenish grey eyes. But some are more green than grey and some are more grey than green. This characteristic is discrete because there are only 3 kinds of colors a Swift Fox can have.
- Some Swift Foxes have pointy ears, while some do not. This is definitely a discrete characteristic because a fox can only have pointy ears or rounded ears. There are only 2 possibilities.
- The Swift Fox have black-tipped tails. Some of those tails are blacker than others. This is a continuous characteristic because there is a large range of centimeters of black tails that a Swift Fox can have.
- Teeth are an important characteristic a Swift Fox has. They hunt and eat their prey using their sharp teeth. As a baby fox grows up their teeth get more and more big and sharper. This is a continuous characteristic because the range between a baby Swift Fox's teeth and an adult Swift Fox has a large range of sizes.
2 Structural Adaptations
- The name "Swift Fox" comes from the speed that a Swift Fox can run. They can run 60km/h as mentioned before which really helps them compete against other certain predators to catch their prey first. Without this characteristic, the Swift Fox would have trouble trying to survive.
- The size of a Swift Fox is roughly around the size of a domestic cat. This is a structural adaptation because it helps them to quietly approach their prey. Even when they run 60km/h, the prey may not hear them coming for them.
1 Behavioral Adaptation
- The Swift Fox spends most of its time in their underground burrows. If they see any of their predators such as coyotes and eagles, they quickly go in those burrows. They also keep their food in there or nurse their kits in there so they are safe. These burrows are usually dug out on their own or sometimes they are the burrows of another animal that doesn't live there anymore.
Niche
The Swift Fox lives in short-grass prairies and deserts of The Great Plains of North America to west central Texas. They have a broad niche because they have a large variety of food to eat. Starting from rabbits to mice to ground squirrels to birds and even berries, grass and fruits, they still have more. During the summer, they Swift Fox eat insects like beetles and grasshoppers. But, they do have predators as well. The most common ones are eagles and cougars; also humans hunt them for fur as well. They are related to many animals such as the bison and prairie dogs. Bisons eat the tall grasses so that Swift Foxes don't have trouble seeking their prey. Prairie dogs are eaten by Swift Foxes; they also dig burrows all around so that Swift Foxes can quickly hide in them when they see a predator suddenly approach.
This map shows the global location of the Swift Fox. The red spot is where the Swift Fox lives.***Extirpated= to destroy totally***
***Endangered= threatened with extinction***
***Threatened= to be a menace or source of danger to***
***Special Concerns= worrying of a specific problem***
Risk Level & Conservation Strategies
The Swift Fox population plummeted during the late 1800's and the early 1900's mostly by poison baits used to kill wolves. This caused the coyote population to explode so there were more predators for the Swift Fox. Trapping and shooting also effected their population. By the 1950's, the Swift Fox started to recover. The SFCT (Santa Fe Conservation Trust) worked to adopt a Conservation Strategy Plan. They were involved in efforts to expand areas of Swift Fox distribution. They made cooperative efforts with private land owners and also formed conservation agreements for the recovery of the Swift Fox. They released Swift Foxes in 1993.
Human Impact
Humans have indeed impacted the live of the Swift Fox. First, humans have taken over many open spaces that the Swift Fox lives in. Creating a whole new place for them to live in, they destroyed the habitat of the Swift Fox. Agriculture strategies reduced the sustainability of the Swift Fox in their natural habitat. Humans also trapped and hunted them until the 1920's for their soft warm fur.
Zoo's Conserve and Maintain
The Calgary Zoo supports about a dozen conservation projects. They have many external conservation projects, eco-tour programs, sister zoo relationships, and public conservation presentations. Some of the projects are close to home and some of them are over seas. They research solutions for environmental problems threatening the world's species and ecosystems. Also, they recycle cell phones to conserve wildlife.
Zoo's Decrease in Biodiversity
The main problem with all zoos are that they are constantly inbreeding animals resulting in problems like decreased fertility, high breeding depression, and birth defects. All of these effects decrease biodiversity in animals.
References
This is a school project I did in grade 9 science. =]]
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