The Swift Fox: Ecology and Conservation of Swift Foxes in a Changing World

Dr. Patrick W. Colgan is the director of Research and Natural Lands at
the Royal Botanical Gardens.

The Swift Fox reports an international symposium on this endangered
species that was held in 1998 in Saskatoon. The editors, wildlife
biologists in the United States and Canada, respectively, have gathered
much of the expertise studying this species and closely related ones.

The papers are divided into five parts. “Setting the Stage”
provides an overview of the history, lifestyle, and ecology of the
species and consequent attempts at conservation. The swift fox is well
adapted to open lands and has non-breeding “helpers” in the groups.
The economy of the farmers and the ongoing changes in habitat afford
opportunities for incentives. The papers in “Distribution and
Population Shifts” report from various jurisdictions the use of such
techniques as radio collars and infra-red cameras to collect information
on these shifts. The third group of papers, “Censusing and
Techniques,” uses tracking plates and scent-station methods and also
looks at the issue of injuries to animals.

The largest set of papers, “Population Ecology,” presents data on
the swift fox and comparisons with other canids in terms of such
features as monogamy, parental care, and the dynamics of territoriality.
Comparisons with Californian kit foxes reveal the importance of habitat
loss and predation by coyotes. The information is very diverse. For
example, for aging individuals (often needed) cross sections of teeth
can be used. A comparison of the den patterns of three species reveals
how each sets up sufficient escape routes. Restoration efforts often
involve translocating animals and/or captive breeding from which
differences by age and sex can be measured.

The final set of papers, “Taxonomy Physiology and Disease,”
examines taxonomy and population structure as a function of body size,
while a comparison of behavioural and physiological adaptations of North
American and Saharo-Arabian species reveals dietary differences with
physiological consequences.

The Swift Fox surely draws together the current state of knowledge
about swift foxes. The text is assisted with supporting tables, figures,
and photographs. Given that a single species is the focus, why did the
editors not prepare a single reference list?