Fox Population of the Colorado Rocky Mountains
Colorado is home to four separate species of foxes. The red fox, gray fox, kit fox and swift fox all exist in this state, but not all inhabit the Rocky Mountain portion of Colorado.
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Geography
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The red fox calls much of Colorado home except for the southern sections of the eastern plains in the state. The gray fox lives on the eastern slopes in the foothills in the southeastern portion of the state and at the lower elevations of the western slopes of the Colorado Rockies.
Considerations
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There are more red foxes than any other type throughout the state and in the Rockies. The gray fox is not particularly plentiful within its range, according to the Colorado Division of Wildlife website.
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Size
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Both red and gray foxes have one litter of pups each year; the size of an average litter is four. It takes from six to eight weeks for the babies to gestate within the mother.
Diet
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The red and gray fox consume creatures such as rabbits, rodents and birds, which are abundant in the Rocky Mountain region of Colorado.
Kit and Swift
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The kit fox is on the Colorado endangered list while the swift fox is a species of concern, meaning it is not plentiful in numbers throughout the state.
Habitat
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The red foxes that live in the mountains of Colorado stay close to water along the edges of the forests and hunt in the subalpine fields and meadows.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Darren
