Vulpes macrotis
May 14, 2022: Kelbaker Road, San Bernardino County, CA
On the way east on Kelbaker Road, we didn’t find any reptiles, although we did pick up some eyeshine with one of the flashlights out in the desert near the road. We stopped the van, and tried to figure out the identity of what appeared to be three sets of eyes, almost certainly mammalian. Some of the others in the van caught a glimpse of the animals – foxes of some sort. We wandered around near where they’d been seen, and found their den, and a couple of my students caught enough of a glimpse of the animals to identify them as Kit Foxes. KIT FOXES!!!!! Unfortunately, by the time I was able to make my way to the den, they’d taken cover and were nowhere to be seen. Still, this was their den, so we thought there was a pretty good likelihood that they’d be out again when we drove past on our way back to Zzyzx. So, we dropped a pin on the map, to locate the den again, and kept on with the night driving. Later, we returned to the location where we’d dropped the pin, and easily identified the area where we’d found the den. We pulled off to the opposite side of the road and turned off the car, hoping not to stress them out or startle them too much. Then, we spotlit the area with our flashlights. Sure enough, more eyeshine, and then, in the light of the flashlights, we saw the foxes themselves. Juveniles – at least three (possibly four) – and I was absolutely thrilled to see them for the first time in the wild. Then, as we watched, they decided that they weren’t bothered by our lights, and went back to the business of being young foxes, which mostly included pouncing on one another in mock battles, running back and forth through the brush, and even trying to climb up into a small tree near the den. It was one of the most wonderful and adorable things I’d ever seen. They were so beautiful and precious, and watching the just playing with one another as if we weren’t there is literally one of the best things I’ve ever seen in my entire life. We watched them for a while – probably about half an hour – and then decided that it was getting late, and we had a long drive ahead of us in the morning. So, feeling a bit sad to leave the foxes behind, we headed back to the Desert Studies Center.
Let me know what you think!