Island Fox

I have the good fortune to live in Southern California where I can visit the mountains, desert and ocean within a very short drive.  Off the coast are the Channel Islands, which has been called the Galapagos Islands of North America, and its unique biodiversity and endemic species of flora and fauna can't be found anywhere else.  One of the endemic species is the Island Fox, a relative to the gray fox on the mainland, they are smaller than their mainland cousins.  This particular fox I snapped his picture on Santa Cruz Island.  They are the smallest of Island Foxes and have the shortest legs.  The foxes were endangered earlier this century and conservation efforts have been successful in restoring populations on 4 of the islands.  To learn more, visit http://www1.islandfox.org/p/about-island-fox.html