Checking In on the Island Fox of the Channel Islands

Nature photographer and conservationist Ian Shive takes us to Channel Islands National Park where the US Fish and Wildlife Service are working hard to protect the endangered Santa Cruz Island Fox.

February 01, 2021

By: Ian Shive

Show: Nature in Focus

Related To:

Shop This Look

Photo By: Ian Shive

The rare, endangered island fox (Urocyon littoralis) is a unique species found nowhere else on Earth, except on six of the eight islands in the Channel Islands National Park off the coast of California. This is one of the earliest photos I ever took of the fox, back in 2006 when their numbers were exceptionally low. You can see one of the early tracking collars around this fox's neck.

The island fox typically forms monogamous breeding pairs (mates for life), which are often seen together from January to March during breeding season, though this solo fox has yet to find his mate. As a photographer I often have to remind myself to not just shoot tight portraits of species, but to shoot wide and show the landscape and habitat that is an important part of the wildlife story.

I rarely saw the foxes climb trees and stumps, but had heard they were known to do so. Finally after many years of photographing Channel Island National Park and the foxes, I caught one in the act! As small as house cats, they seem to have a similar, playful personality as one, too.

Island fox diets are based upon the individual island they inhabit and its food item diversity. Some items they may eat are fruits from cactus, deer mice, sea figs, and occasionally marine invertebrates. On a few occasions I've seen the fox take out a crab on the beach, quickly scurrying off to make a meal of it elsewhere, but sadly it happened so fast it'll only be a memory.

Island foxes have no natural predators, which allows them to hunt during daylight hours with peaks in activity at dusk and dawn. The foxes have definitely become accustomed to the boatloads of people that arrive, and instead of hiding, sneak in for a closer look and for a snack. Feeding the foxes is not only illegal, but could hurt them, so visitors are strongly advised to keep food in special "fox boxes" and away from prying paws.

Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park, California: The view from the Cavern Point Trail and home to the Santa Cruz Island fox. Only a quick boat trip away from the mainland California and the city of Los Angeles, the Channel Islands are a world apart.

There is so much joy in this photo that it has become one of my favorites, and there are a lot of reasons to be joyful, too! The fox is making a comeback! There are different subspecies of the island fox on each of the islands, distinguished by both genetic and physical differences. For example, the Santa Cruz Island fox has a longer tail than the San Miguel Island fox.

These island foxes love to hangout in shrubby or wooded areas, such as chaparral, coastal scrub and oak woodlands. This photo is one I had conceptualized in my head, using wild flowers as a compositional element, but timing it so there is a fox ready for a photo shoot is easier said than done! Luckily, after days of trying, I had a brief moment to capture this and several other frames.

While setting up the tent in the campground, I was contemplating with a friend whether or not we'd see any fox on this trip. Lo and behold, only feet away this little fox was watching us, his colors blending into the natural colors of the landscape. Island foxes prefer to adventure by themselves, rather than in packs...and apparently I was today's adventure.

The island fox is not afraid of humans, and are very easily tamed. They bark and growl to communicate with one another - just like dogs! The first peoples to these islands, the Chumash, are known to have had the fox as pets. Aside from any fox which are part of captive breeding programs, they are otherwise wild these days.

This fluffy little island fox is one of the smallest canids in the world and the smallest fox in North America, and yet it is the largest native terrestrial mammal on the Channel Islands. The recovery efforts by The National Park Service, and their partners, are widely considered one of the best recovery efforts for an endangered species. Photographed in 2006, not long after major efforts to save the species began.

The island fox is similar to its mainland cousin the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), but smaller. The native four-pound island fox is tinier than an average house cat.

The Santa Cruz Island fox was the island's top dog for thousands of years, free from predators, until non-native golden eagles began roaming the island looking for prey in the 1990's. This photo is of a relatively young fox who stayed close to his mother, napping in the nearby meadow.

At one point there were only a few island fox left, only 20 on some islands, but today they are back from the brink of extinction. The golden light of Channel Islands National Park opens up magical opportunities to capture images of this species, which is now regularly seen on the trails. This photo was taken near Cavern Point.