The Ocelot- Mitchell Rincon

The Ocelot by Mitchell Rincon

The ocelot, Leopardus pardalis, is a medium-sized, long-tailed cat also known as the dwarf leopard because of its resemblance to the other awe-inspiring feline. They range in color from a light yellow to reddish grey tones with dark spots on their body and tail, and dark stripes on their faces. They can weigh up to 40 pounds, grow to a length of 4 ¾ feet, and can live up to a healthy 20 years. The ocelot like most cats, are quite evasive and operate well in the cover of night. This doesn’t mean that they are not active, as they operate and hunt about 12 to 14 hours a day. With this dedication to the hunt, they average one prey item for every 3.1 hours of travel. When they are not hunting they are often seen resting in brush piles, or in between vines or roots (ISEC). They occupy urine marked territories that can span up to 18 square miles for males and 6 square miles for females. Ocelots live as lone felines and are not seen interacting socially with one another very often, but when mating time comes around litters usually from 1-3 kittens follow a 79-85 day gestation period. 

Geographic and Population Changes

Ocelots occupy a wide range of habitats from tropical forests to thornscrub and semi-arid vegetation to oak forests and grasslands. While ocelots were once found roaming from Arkansas and Louisiana down through Mexico and South America, they are now only found in the states of Arizona and Texas in the United States while still being found in every mainland country south of the U.S. except Chile (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). There are an estimated 800,000 to 1.5 million cats in these countries, but only about 30 in the United States (Defenders of Wildlife).

Listing Date and Type of Listing

The Ocelot was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1972 while also receiving the same endangered listing in Mexico. The main threat to the feline’s survival is human population growth. This has led to habitat conversion, fragmentation by roads and other boundaries, and overall habitat loss. In Texas alone, 95% of dense thornscrub has been converted to agriculture or development. One of the means of fragmentation is the border fence between the United States and Mexico, which has hampered the ability of the Ocelot to cross national boundaries and has restricted their prosperity. All of this has led to an increased problem of inbreeding because of the size of populations. The international fur and pet trade used to be a large contributor to the decrease of the Ocelot, but illegal hunting has declined because of the ban of international trade of cat in 1975 (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

Description of Recovery Plan

The goal of the recovery plan put forth by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is to down list the Ocelot from endangered to threatened status. They strive to see a single population reach 150 individuals, or two or more populations with 75 individuals, with interchange between populations. They are also trying to reach an ultimate metapopulation of at least 1,000 for 5 consecutive years. Some of the guidelines set forth by the U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service for recovery have been laid out below:

1. Assessment, protection, reconnection, and restoration of habitat to support populations in borderlands of U.S. and Mexico.

2. Reduction of the effects of human population growth and development.

3. Maintenance or improvement of genetic fitness, demographic conditions, and health.

4. Assurance of long-term viability of ocelot populations through partnerships, development of incentives for landowners, application of existing regulations, public education and outreach.

5. Adaptive management monitored by USFWS and Bi-national Ocelot Recovery Team.

By following these guides and combating some of the environmental impacts affecting the Ocelot, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service believes their goals could be met by 2085 because of the relatively slow growth rate of Ocelot populations. This is also expected to cost $126,117,000 in the first 6 years.

What can you do?

Its time to get out there folks and make sure that this beautiful creature will live on in a healthy and virtuous world. One way to do this is to symbolically adopt an animal in order to raise money to help save real animals in the wild. Visit a Wildlife Action Center to send messages to government leaders, or educate yourself on the Ocelot as well as other animals that may need your help to continue to survive on our planet.

Other resources

Link to adopt a ocelot

https://secure.defenders.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=wagc_homepage&s_src=3WEW1700XXXXX&s_subsrc=120216_adopt_body_ocelot/what-you-can-do

Another informative blog about the Ocelot

http://www.wildcatconservation.org/wild-cats/south-america/ocelot/

Works Cited

Https://www.facebook.com/DefendersofWildlife/. "Basic Facts About Ocelots." Defenders of Wildlife.       

        N.p., 14 Oct. 2016. Web. 03 Dec. 2016. 

 "Ocelot - International Society for Endangered Cats (ISEC) Canada." International Society for 

        Endangered Cats (ISEC) Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.

Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife. "No Species Profile." No Species Profile. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.

Service, U.s. Fish and Wildlife. "Recovery Plan For the Ocelot." (2016): n. pag. Web.

Snow Leopard- Haley Pryde

Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia)

Fun fact- Snow Leopards have gray or light green eyes which is uncommon for big cats (Threats to Snow Leopards).
http://dinoanimals.com/animals/snow-leopard-mysterious-cat/

Description & Ecology

Lurking in the freezing cold mountains of Central Asia, including the Altai, Tian Shan, Kun Lun, Pamir, Hindu Kush, Karakorum and Himalayan ranges are the elusive and very rare snow leopards (Panthera uncia).  Since these majestic creatures live in some of the harshest habitats known to mankind, they are cloaked in a thick blanket of gray fur, have wide fur-covered paws that double as snowshoes and lengthy tails that help them balance (National Geographic).  These hunters prey on a wide variety of animals such as wild blue sheep and mountain ibex found in Tibet and the Himalayas as well as marmots, game birds and hare (National Geographic). The sneaky  snow leopard, who is only active at dawn and dusk, takes shelter in steep cliffs, rocky outcrops and ravines in order to camouflage and sneak up on their prey and their spry hind limbs help them leap and jump up to six times their body length in order to become the perfect predator (Threats to Snow Leopards). These beautiful creatures have unfortunately been listed as endangered since 1972 due to climate change, retaliatory killings and increased poaching (Threats to Snow Leopards).

Population Changes

There are only 4,080-6,590 snow leopards left on the face of this Earth and along with climate change, retaliatory killings and increased poaching, this can be attributed to the fact that the snow leopard is both low in population density as well as recruitment rate, meaning that few of the snow leopards raise enough offspring that survive and are able to join the breeding population (Panthera uncia). Due to these factors, the snow leopard population trend is currently decreasing (Panthera uncia). 

This map depicts the snow leopard's range of habitat, highlighted in red.
http://snowleopardconservancy.org/how-we-work-2/
Check out iucnredlist.org to see an interactive map of their whereabouts. 

Main Threats to the Snow Leopard

Climate Change (Geographic Changes)

Perhaps the number one contributing factor to the snow leopard's endangered species status is the concept of climate change (Snow Leopard). The impact can be felt so strongly by the species that simply by itself climate change can result in 30% of the snow leopard's habitat loss in the Himalayas alone. This happens when temperatures rise and snow lines recede, forcing the snow leopard to move higher and higher up the mountain range. (Threats to Snow Leopards). As the snow leopard is forced into even higher elevations the surrounding vegetation becomes even scarcer, resulting in less herbivores that they prey on, meaning less food for the snow leopards to prey on (Threats to Snow Leopards). This vicious cycle makes it increasingly difficult for these creatures to find their next meal.

A snow leopard in its natural habitat.
http://climatenewsnetwork.net/rethink-needed-on-farmings-impacts/

Retaliatory Killings 

Being at the top of the food chain means that the snow leopard finds itself in a bit of trouble when going after their prey. It is not uncommon for farmers to retaliate and kill snow leopards for going after their livestock, which includes sheep, horses and goats (Snow Leopard). As mentioned before, the snow leopard generally feeds on mountain sheep and ibex, but when those animals are hunted by local communities the snow leopard struggles to find its next meal and ultimately has to kill livestock in order to survive, which leads to farmers going after the animal (Snow Leopard). 

Supermodel Kate Moss shamelessly flaunts a snow leopard fur coat.
 http://charityowl.com/endangered-snow-leopards-get-some-good-news/

Poaching 

The snow leopard is clearly such a beautiful animal and it definitely does not go unnoticed. Their coat is so stunning that the demand for their pelts is so high in countries such as Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Russia in order to make fur coats and other clothing items (Threats to Snow Leopards). Their bones and other body parts are also used in traditional Asian medicine (Threats to Snow Leopards). This illegal fur trade contributes greatly to the endangerment of the snow leopard.

What's Being Done?

In order to prevent snow leopards from becoming extinct, several measures are being taken in order to protect them. Along with being listed as a protected species for the International Union for Conservation of Nature they are also on the Convention on International Trade and Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora's list that limits trade in wild animals (Snow Leopard- Mysterious Cat). The World Wildlife Fund works extraordinarily hard to protect these creatures from retaliatory killings by teaming up with local communities in the Eastern Himalayas to carefully watch snow leopards in their natural habitat as well as working with goat herders in Mongolia to make locals aware of the danger that the snow leopard is in as well as to secure and preserve important areas of their habitat (Snow Leopard). TRAFFIC, a network monitoring wildlife trade, works hard to stop the illegal trade of numerous snow leopard parts such as fur and bones (Snow Leopard). This network not only helps protect the snow leopards themselves but their prey as well, further preventing these big cats from becoming even more endangered. 

Did you know? Snow leopards, unlike all other big cats, are unable to roar (Threats to Snow Leopards).
http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/snow-leopard

Recovery Plan

In order to save the snow leopard, a plan for recovery has been charted out by International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. The snow leopard is now legally protected from hunting in most of its 12 range states through national legislation and financial incentives are also being given to areas that do their part in helping conserve the snow leopard (Panthera Uncia). Policies are being strengthened in areas that contain snow leopards which help prevent and prohibit the killing, possession, sale and trade of these animals while major trade markets are now strictly monitored and law enforcement is in return increased (Panthera Uncia). On top of it all, conservation education is being improved so that local communities and even international governments can become aware of the situation and help do their part to prevent it (Panthera Uncia).

What YOU Can Do to Help 

The pressure is on to continue to preserve and save the majestic snow leopard. One way you can do your part and help protect them is by "adopting" a symbolic snow leopard (Threats to Snow Leopards).  Visit the World Wildlife Fund Gift Center  to make your donation to the global efforts to conserve the snow leopard and in return "adopt" one yourself. Any donation helps with research and conservation efforts, so encourage your friends and family to set up bake sales, car washes, or even garage sales in order to raise money, and in return raise awareness, that will help save the snow leopard from further endangerment- or even worse, extinction.

Fun Fact- Snow Leopards are solitary in nature and pair up only during breeding season (Threats to Snow Leopards).

https://www.stlzoo.org/animals/abouttheanimals/mammals/carnivores/snowleopard

Other Resources

Link to adopt a snow leopard.
https://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions/Snow-Leopard.aspx?sc=AWY1302WC922&_ga=1.143964021.175696823.1477291669

Here is a great blog to check out if you would like more information about the endangered snow leopard.
http://snowleopardblog.com/

Works Cited:

National Geographic. "Snow Leopards, Snow Leopard Pictures, Snow Leopard Facts - National               Geographic." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2016.
"Panthera Uncia." Panthera Uncia (Ounce, Snow Leopard). The IUCN Red List of Threatened                   Species, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016
"Snow Leopard – Mysterious Cat | DinoAnimals.com." DinoAnimals.com. N.p., 12 Apr. 2016. Web.         24 Nov. 2016.
"Snow Leopard." WorldWildlife.org. World Wildlife Fund, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2016.
"Threats to Snow Leopards." Defenders of Wildlife. N.p., 19 Sept. 2016. Web. 26 Nov. 2016.

Sperm Whales - Robert Peyton

 Sperm Whale

Marina Milligan/Dominica Sperm Whale Project

One of the most popular and iconic novels in human history features this stunning animal. A story of adventure and suspense, Moby Dick captivated the minds of countless individuals who set sail with Captain Ahab on the quest for the great whale. Unfortunately, the entertainment of this book comes at the expense of the sperm whale, painting the animal in a negative light and making sperm whales seem aggressive and deadly.  

Description & Ecology of Organism: 

(Enchanted Learning)  

  Sperm whales are easily recognized by their massive heads and prominent rounded foreheads.The unique name of this animal originates from the spermaceti organ located in its' head, which produces the valuable spermaceti oil (Enchanted Learning). The carnivorous sperm whale feasts on primarily giant squid and fish, consuming up to one ton (907 kg!) daily. These leviathans are the largest toothed whale, males grow to be 50-60 feet long and weigh about 40-50 tons. Females are smaller, ranging from 33-40 feet long and weighing anywhere from 14-18 tons (Enchanted Learning). Because of the deep-sea dwelling nature of their prey, the sperm whale can hold its' breath for up to 90 minutes, and have been known to dive as deep as 3,280 feet (National Geographic). The gestation period for sperm whales is 14-16 months, and a healthy sperm whale can live beyond 70 years! In terms of natural threats, the great sperm whale only has to worry about occasional attacks from killer whales, as well as even less frequent attacks from false killer whales and pilot whales. (WhaleFacts.org). 

Geography & Population:

Sperm whales inhabit all of the world's oceans except for the polar seas shown in blue. Population concentrations are shown in black. (OurEndangeredWorld.com)

Sperm whales can be found cruising anywhere across the globes oceans (except the north or south pole) at speeds of 23 miles per hour thanks to their 16 foot long tail fluke (National Geographic). Sperm whales typically travel in groups of 15-20 known as pods, mostly made up of females and young, while males tend to bounce around from pod to pod or swim solo. The bulk of sperm whale pods can be found in tropical and subtropical waters year-round. Males will migrate to higher latitudes and spend most of its life in solidarity, then return to the equator to breed (National Geographic). The long history of whaling and the complex social structure and reproductive behavior of sperm whales have confounded assessments of population size. Although the current population of the sperm whale is unknown, a 2003 estimate put the number at 360,000. This animal has been decimated by commercial whaling, as the recent population estimate is 68% below the pre-hunting estimate of 1,100,000 (edgeofexistence.org). 

                           ⟶  https://iwc.int/home ⟵

Listing Date: 06/02/1970

Listing Type: Endangered                                                

 Sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus, are currently globally listed as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (US Fish and Wildlife Service). Hunted heavily during the 18th and 19th centuries in all parts of the world, lack of regulation aided in the decimation of this species until the first quotas were established in 1970, the same year that the whale was listed as endangered. Sperm whales were granted complete protection from commercial whaling beginning in the 1981-82 season by the International Whaling Commission (US Fish and Wildlife Service). 

Cause of Listing

• The single most devastating cause of endangering sperm whales was extensive commercial whaling all over the world for nearly two and a half centuries. Beginning in the 17th century, the whale was hunted for its' spermaceti oil, used to make lubricants and candles (edgeofexistence.org). As technology progressed and hunting methods became more efficient, the number of sperm whales caught skyrocketed, as seen on the graph above. This number didn't see significant decrease until the 80s, when hunting regulations were implemented by the international whaling commission. Although sperm whaling was banned entirely by the IWC, Japan continued to hunt sperm whales up until 2000 for scientific research (edgeofexistence.org). 

Continued Threats

• Collisions with boats and entanglement in fishing equipment
• Oil Spills
• Global Warming

Recovery Plan

 The goal of this Recovery Plan is to promote recovery of sperm whales to a point at which they can be downlisted from endangered to threatened status, and ultimately to remove them from the list of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants, under the provisions of the ESA (US Fish and Wildlife Service).

1. Coordinate state, federal, and international actions to implement recovery action and maintain international regulation of whaling for sperm whales;

2. Develop and apply methods to estimate population size and monitor trends in abundance;

3. Determine population discreteness and population structure of sperm whales;

4. Conduct risk analyses;

5. Identify, characterize, protect, and monitor habitat important to sperm whale populations in U.S. waters and elsewhere;

6. Investigate causes of and reduce the frequency and severity of human-caused injury and mortality;

7. Determine and minimize any detrimental effects of anthropogenic noise in the oceans;

8. Maximize efforts to acquire scientific information from dead, stranded, and entangled sperm whales; and

9. Develop post-delisting monitoring plan.

(US Fish and Wildlife Service).

What can we do?

⟹⟹⟹  http://www.savethewhales.org/sperm.html  ⟸⟸⟸

While Sperm whales became endangered largely due to commercial whaling efforts, they are still effected today by human factors such as pollution, fishing nets, and boating. It may seem like there's nothing you as an individual can do, but that is simply NOT true! Every little conscious effort adds up, here are some steps we can strive for in order to help keep these magnificent creatures around. 



1. Cut the plastic rings on soda packs before disposing them. Thousands of wildlife is killed unnecessarily each year due to entanglements. 
2. Never release balloons outsides! They can travel for hundreds of miles and land in oceans, which can kill animals that ingest the balloon.
3.  Use environmentally friendly products and support organic agiculture.

Works Cited

Hogenboom, Melissa. "Sperm Whales Remember Their Friends over Many Years." BBC. N.p., 7 July 2015. Web. 20 Nov. 2016.

http://www.savethewhales.org/sperm.html

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/sperm-whale/

https://www.fws.gov/

http://www.whalefacts.org/

"SPERM WHALE Physeter Macrocephalus." All About Whales! Enchanted Learning, 1998-2016. Web. 23 Nov. 2016.

"90. Sperm Whales." EDGE. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2016. (edgeofexistence.org)

San Joaquin Kit Fox - kayla pugeda

San Joaquin Kit Fox

Vulpes macrotis mutica

------------------------------------------------------------------------

By: Kayla Pugeda

When asked as a child what my favorite animal was, I would eagerly answer, "fox!" So, upon finding out that this adorable animal, the San Joaquin Kit Fox was endangered, I had to find out more! What were the causes of its endangered status and what are some things I can do to help?

 Photo by Cruzin Canines Photography in Kern, California December 2, 2015

 T     Description and Ecology of San Joaquin Kit Fox

      A distinct and undeniably adorable feature of the San Joaquin Kit Fox are their large ears in contrast to their small statures. The average size of a male SJ kit fox is about 20 inches, not including the tail which averages around 12 inches, surmounting the SJ kit fox to a whopping 32 inches in length! They have long legs and thin, agile bodies. Depending on the season, the coat color of the SJ kit fox ranges from buff, tan, yellowish-grey, and grizzled (FWS Recovery Plan). The average weight of an adult male SJ kit fox is approximately 5 pounds making them the smallest canid species in North America (EPA). The SJ kit fox’s life expectancy in the wild is approximately 7-8 years. They can begin breeding at the age of one (EPA). They are nocturnal animals. Prey species of the San Joaquin Kit Fox include smaller animals like kangaroo rats, white-footed mice, desert cottontails, etc., and they also eat some vegetation but mostly grass (EPA). They are underground dwellers, digging dens for protection from predators, regulating heat, and raising their young.

Photo: USFWS 

https://www.fws.gov/sacramento/es_kids/san-joaquin-kit-fox/es_kids_san-joaquin-kit-fox.htm

2     Geographic and population changes

       Historically the San Joaquin Kit Fox resided in the San Joaquin Valley and western San Joaquin County, southern Kern County, northern Tracy, CA, and eastern Stanislaus County (FWS Recovery Plan). There’s a lack of comprehensive data and monitoring on their current geographic range. But due to development in the San Joaquin Valley area, big extant populations of the kit fox appear in the Carrizo Plains area and southeastern San Luis Obispo, and what’s left of natural habitats in the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley regions (FWS Recovery Plan). There are no historical population numbers of the San Joaquin Kit Fox prior to being listed as endangered, and there's no viable or comprehensive data that present the current population numbers. This is due to the lack of an, "established scientifically valid population monitoring program," (FWS). In the image below, the region of Bakersfield and Kern County is the historic range area, but you can see they have branched out towards the inner central coast cities and moved in the northern central valley region.

http://esrp.csustan.edu/gis/

3     Listing date and type of listing

       March 3rd, 1967 the San Joaquin Kit Fox was declared endangered. 

4    Cause of listing and Main threats to its continued existence
       Main threat/ cause: conversion of lands in the San Joaquin region to “agricultural, industrial, and urban uses has eliminated these species from the majority of their historic ranges.” About less than 5% of actual historic range remains, and what remains is highly fragmented communities. Consequently, this created marginal habitats where it may be difficult for species to survive and persist in catastrophic events. Another threat is the persistence of nonnative plants that have invaded what remains of natural areas (FWS recovery plan). 

5    Description of Recovery Plan

        The conservation and recovery effort of the San Joaquin Kit Fox is part of a larger recovery effort including 33 other species – 11 species endangered and 22 species of concern (including both plants and animals) – in the San Joaquin Valley region. They are bundled together because these organisms reside in the same natural habitat and are interdependent on each other’s existence. Yet, the San Joaquin Kit Fox plays a crucial role as somewhat of an umbrella species in the area since it exists in nearly all of the natural communities as the other listed species. Thus the protection of the Kit Fox will act as an “umbrella for protection” for the other imperiled species. Because of urban, agricultural, and industrial development in this area, the main component in bringing back the kit fox is establishing a network of conservation areas. Recovery efforts begin with the natural lands that currently remain and then linking them to compatible conservation areas vis-à-vis natural habitat corridors or islands. Kit foxes need large habitat areas and experience fluctuations in their population that it is necessary to conserve not just one population, but multiple existing populations to sustain their existence. There are three-core populations: Carrizo Plain area in San Luis Obispo County, the remaining natural lands of western Kern County, and the Ciervo-Panoche Natural area of Fresno and San Benito counties  (FWS Recovery Plan). Conservation efforts in these core areas will hopefully revitalize the San Joaquin Kit Fox population. Connecting these large areas through habitat corridors and the like, will help reduce the negative effects of habitat degradation and fragmentation.

6     What can YOU do?

       Donate to Friends of the Carrizo Plain, they are a non-profit group that supports the three organizations in the Education, Interpretation, and Conservation of the unique objects and resources of the Carrizo Plain National Monument. Click link to donate! http://carrizo.org

     Other resources

       If you want to access the US Fish and Wildlife Service website, to learn more about the San Joaquin region and the species at risk. endangered, or threatened click below.

  https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp0/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=A006

If you want a more in-depth look at the recovery plan, click the link below. https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/980930a.pdf

                                               

8.    Works Cited

       U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1998. Recovery Plan for Upland Species of the San Joaquin Valley, California. 340 pp. http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/980930a.pdf
        http://carrizo.org        
        http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/41587/0
        http://lpfw.org/our-region/wildlife/san-joaquin-kit-fox/

Chris Ramon Kit Foxes

Chris Ramon

San Joaquin Kit Fox - Vulpes marotis mutica

https://secure.defenders.org/site/SPageNavigator/wagc_kitfox.html

Growing up, my two brothers and myself loved to play wiffle ball in the backyard. The downside was that I was always having to hop my backyard fence, which resided in Tracy California of the San Joaquin Valley, into the 5 acre field to retrieve lost wiffle balls. Often times the owner of the fields sheep would be grazing close by, other times I would see squirrels run by. But on the rare occasion, I would see a little small fox looking creature scurry away from me or even after one of the squirrels. I did not think much of the critter besides myself not knowing they inhabited that field of my hometown; nor did I know that this species has been endangered for 30 years, due to the agriculture and commercialization of where I grew up.

Summary of Ecology

The kit fox is classified as a canid, a mammal that is part of the dog family. It is actually the smallest canid species in North America. Physically, a San Joaquin kit fox can be identified by its small, slim body, relatively large, close-set ears, a narrow nose, and a long, bushy tail tapering slightly toward the tip (Orloff et al.1993).

It can sometimes be challenging to identify the differences in the three fox species of San Jaoquin Valley, especially since they are primarily nocturnal animals. The black tipped tail of a kit fox and the general difference in coat color can distinguish it from a red fox and gray fox. Kit foxes typically consume primarily nocturnal rodents, such as ground squirrels and mice, but also some vegetation and insects from the San Joaquin Valley (Orloff et al.1993).

Geographical and Population Changes

http://esrp.csustan.edu/publications/pubhtml.php?doc=sjvrp&file=chapter02L00.html

Before 1930, kit foxes inhabited “most of the San Joaquin Valley, from southern Kern County, north to Tracy, San Joaquin County on the western side, and near La Grange, Stanislaus County on the eastside” (Grinnell 1937). Due to the overwhelming habitat and fragmentation, extant populations of the kit fox appear in the Carrizo Plains in the San Luis Obispo County.   It is believed that by 1930 the kit fox range had been reduced by more than half (Grinnell 1937).

Listing Date

Although the San Joaquin kit fox has been listed as endangered for over 30 years, there has never been a comprehensive survey’ of its entire historical range. (Morrelt 1975). The actual date of listing for endangerment was March 11, 1967.

https://secure.defenders.org/site/SPageNavigator/wagc_kitfox.html

Cause of Listing/Threats to Continued Existence

Predation by larger carnivores (e.g., coyotes) accounts for the majority of San Joaquin kit fox mortality. The effects of disease, parasites and accidental death are largely unknown, but were thought to account for only a small portion of mortality (Berry et al. 1987a). Drought plays a role in low reproductive success (i.e., pups are born but do not survive to weaning). Shooting, trapping, poisoning, electrocution, road kills, and suffocation have all been recognized as human-induced mortality factors, but occur also at a much more lower portion.

http://biotatvorg.tumblr.com/post/141461356235/the-kit-and-kaboodle-about-the-kit-fox

However, by the 1950’s the principal factors in the decline of the San Joaquin kit fox were loss, degradation, and fragmentation of habitats associated with agricultural, industrial, and urban developments in the San Joaquin Valley (Knapp 1978). Growing up in Tracy, it is pretty apparent how agricultural effected the city and shaped the town, but it can also be seen how it affects the species that lived there prior to human inhabitants and then expansion.

https://sites.google.com/site/sanjoaquinkitfoxsp2015/endangered-species

   Description of Recovery Plan

The recovery plan for kit foxes is part of a much broader plan that has conservation efforts for 33 other upland species of the San Joaquin Valley. Due to the agricultural and commercial expansion in their habitat region, the most important effort is to create conservation areas. Three important purchases of conservation areas included the acquisitions of the Carrizo Plain, Ciervo-Panoche Natural Area, and the Lokern Natural Area (White and Ralls 1993). This is extremely important, keeping these natural and untouched regions available for the kit foxes to inhabit without being disrupted by agriculture or commercial means.

What YOU can Do

Although stopping the disruption of the wild grasslands may be difficult on your own, it is all about the mindset. It is important to make sure that whenever someone visits one of these conservation regions, that they recognize that it is such and to keep it untarnished. Pick up after oneself and do not do anything that could leave an impact on the environment.

Other Resources

• http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/980930a.pdf
• http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/41587/0

Both of the above links provide more detailed explanations of the San Joaquin Kit Fox's discovery plan and assessment by conversationalist corporations.  

Works Cited

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1998. Recovery Plan for Upland Species of the San Joaquin Valley, California. 340 pp. http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/980930a.pdf

The in-text citations used above were taken from the in-text citations used in the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service recovery plan, just wanted to give credit where credit is originally due, however all the information was accessed vicariously through the work cited.