Creature Feature

The kit fox is highly adapted for life in the Sonoran Desert. To escape high temperatures, it lives in extensive, self-dug, underground burrows by day, emerging to hunt nocturnally. Its large ears and long legs aid it in hunting its primary prey—kangaroo rats. Living in the most arid areas, this fox survives without drinking water, obtaining sufficient moisture from its food. About the size of a house cat, kit foxes weigh 4 to 5 pounds, reach a foot in height at the shoulder, and are buff-colored with a large, bushy, black-tipped tail.

For a closer look at the kit fox, visit the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, a world-renowned zoo, natural history museum, and botanical garden in Tucson (www.desertmuseum.org).