- Where to see one
- 3 U.S. zoos in our directory hold swift fox, confirmed against each zoo's own animal list.
Conservation status
Not Evaluated
This species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, so it sits outside the threat scale entirely.
About the swift fox
The swift fox is a small, light orange-tan fox about the size of a domestic cat. It lives in the short-grass prairies and western grasslands of the Great Plains of North America, from southern Alberta and Saskatchewan south to Texas. It is an omnivore, eating rabbits, mice, ground squirrels, birds, insects, lizards, eggs, grasses and fruit, and it is mainly nocturnal. Daytime is spent in a den, and it relies on its burrows more than most North American canids. Wild swift foxes usually live three to six years, and the species has been recorded running at over 50 km/h.
Swift Fox facts
- Swift fox social life is unusual among canids because it is organised around the females.
- A swift fox may use up to thirteen dens in a single year, moving when prey is scarce or parasites build up.
- The species was wiped out in Canada by 1938, and a reintroduction that began in 1983 re-established small populations.
- Predator control programs aimed at wolves and coyotes nearly drove the swift fox extinct in the 1930s.
Where to see swift fox in the U.S.
3 zoos across 3 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 3 zoos holding swift fox by how far they are from you. Your location is used in your browser to sort this list and is never sent to us.
Missouri· 1
North Dakota· 1
South Dakota· 1
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Built from each zoo's own published animal list.
