Home range, habitat use, and denning characteristics of kit foxes in the northern Chihuahuan Desert

Abstract

Zoellick and Smith (1992) noted that information regarding kit foxes' ecology in the Chihuahuan Desert is lacking. In 1993 I initiated a study on the ecology of desert kit foxes on NMR. The objectives of my Investigation were to gather information on the home range, habitat use, and denning characteristics of kit foxes in the northern Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem.

Specifically, I examined kit foxes' annual and seasonal home range size, home range core areas measured by a 50% harmonic mean (HM) home range estimator, and compared fidelity to home range on a seasonal and annual basis. I compared the observed versus expected number of relocations in different habitats and ecotones to gain insight into range use and compared the observed versus expected relocations on roads, arroyos, and trails to gauge kit foxes' use of travel corridors. Finally, I compared the observed versus expected number of den site locations in different habitat types and collected data on the physical characteristics at den sites to gain insight into kit foxes' denning preferences.