Editing Swift fox (section)

==Behavior and ecology==
[[File:Vulpes velox2.jpg|thumb|right|A swift fox napping during the day in a zoo.]]

In the wild, the swift fox usually lives 3–6 years, but may live up to 14 years in captivity.<ref name=":0" /> It is primarily [[nocturnal]], spending only evenings and nighttime above ground in the summer. Daytime activities are usually confined to the den, but it has been known to spend the warm midday period above ground during the winter.<ref name="ADW"/> Due to the harsh winter conditions where the swift fox can be found, there is an increase in mortality rates.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Butler|first=Andrew|date=June 9, 2019|title=Winter movement behavior by swift foxes (''Vulpes velox'') at the northern edge of their range|journal= Canadian Journal of Zoology|volume=97|issue=10 |pages=922–929 |doi=10.1139/cjz-2018-0272 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2019CaJZ...97..922B }}</ref> The swift fox is more heavily dependent on its [[:Category:Shelters built or used by animals|den]] than most North American [[canids]], using them as shelter from predators. These dens are usually burrows that are two to four meters in length.<ref name="ADW"/> It has been known to run very fast, at speeds of over {{convert|50|km/h|-1|abbr=on}}.<ref name="ADW"/>  or up to {{convert|60|km/h|-1|abbr=on}} <ref>Sillero-Zubiri, Claudio; Hoffman, Michael; and MacDonald, David W. (2004) [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260707097_Canids_Foxes_Wolves_Jackals_and_Dogs_Status_Survey_and_Conservation_Action_Plan Canids: Foxes, Wolves, Jackals, and Dogs: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan]. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. p. 112.</ref> The [[coyote]] is the swift fox's main predator, but at times chooses not to consume the swift fox, killing it more often as competition than as prey.<ref name=alberta>{{cite web|url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abnature/speciesatrisk/swift_fox_intro.htm|title=Swift fox|author=Alberta Sustainable Resource Development|access-date=22 June 2008}}</ref> Other predators include the [[American badger]], [[golden eagle]], and [[bobcat]].<ref name=alberta/> It is also vulnerable to trapping and poisoning, as well as death on highways.<ref name=ns>{{cite web|url=http://gf.state.wy.us/wildlife/CompConvStrategy/Species/Mammals/PDFS/Swift%20Fox.pdf|title=Siwft Fox (''Vulpes velox'')|access-date=22 June 2008|archive-date=21 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721182921/http://gf.state.wy.us/wildlife/CompConvStrategy/Species/Mammals/PDFS/Swift%20Fox.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Reproduction===
Swift foxes are a [[social monogamy in mammalian species|socially monogamous]] species, although multiple breeding strategies have been observed.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1104&context=icwdm_usdanwrc |title=Multiple breeding strategies in the swift fox, ''Vulpes velox''|year=2006|doi=10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.06.015|last1=Kitchen|first1=Ann M.|last2=Gese|first2=Eric M.|last3=Waits|first3=Lisette P.|last4=Karki|first4=Seija M.|last5=Schauster|first5=Edward R.|journal=Animal Behaviour|volume=71|issue=5|pages=1029–1038|s2cid=20780520|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The adult swift fox's breeding season varies with region. In the southern United States, it mates between December and February with pups born in March and early April, while in Canada, the [[breeding season]] begins in March, and pups are born in mid-May. The male swift fox matures and may mate at one year, while the female usually waits until her second year before breeding. Adults live in pairs, and although some individuals mate for life, others choose different partners each year. Gestation takes around 51 days, and four to five kits are born.<ref name="DoW"/><ref name="ADW"/>

The swift fox only has one litter annually, but may occupy up to thirteen dens in one year, moving because prey is scarce or because skin [[parasite]]s build up inside the den. Sometimes it makes other burrows from other bigger animals, even though it is completely capable of digging one on its own. Pups are born in the den and typically remain there for approximately one month. A newborn pup's eyes and ears remain closed for ten to fifteen days, leaving it dependent on the mother for food and protection during this time. It is usually weaned around six or seven weeks old and remains with its parents until fall.<ref name="ADW"/> Recent research has shown that social organization in the swift fox is unusual among canids, since it is based on the females.<ref name="AB">{{cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.anbehav.2003.08.012 |author1=Kamler, Jan F |author2=Ballard, Warren B. |author3=Gese, Eric M. |author4=Harrison, Robert L. |author5=Karki, Seija |author6=Mote, Kevin |title=Adult male emigration and a female-based social organization in swift foxes, ''Vulpes velox''|journal=Animal Behaviour |volume =67|issue =4|year=2004|pages =699–702 |s2cid=41400769 |url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1111&context=icwdm_usdanwrc |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Females maintain [[territory (animal)|territories]] at all times, but males emigrate if the resident female is killed or removed.<ref name="AB"/>

===Diet===
Like most foxes, the swift fox is an [[omnivore]]. [[Rabbit]]s, [[mouse|mice]], [[ground squirrel]]s, [[birds]], [[insect]]s, other [[arthropod]]s, [[lizard]]s, [[amphibian]]s, [[fish]] and [[egg]]s are staples.<ref name="DoW"/><ref name="ADW"/> [[Grass]]es and [[fruit]]s round out its diet.<ref name="ADW"/> However, like any efficient forager, the swift fox takes advantage of seasonal foods.<ref name="ADW"/> During the summer, adults eat large amounts of insects, including [[beetle]]s and [[grasshopper]]s, and feed their young with larger prey items.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} [[Deer]] and other carrion killed by other animals may also be important food sources.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}