Observations of Interactions between Swift Fox and American Badger [Notes]

Authors

David E. Ausband, University of MontanaFollow
Elizabeth A. Ausband, University of Montana

Date of this Version

3-2006

Document Type

Article

Citation

The Prairie Naturalist (March 2006) 38(1): 63-64

Notes section

Comments

Copyright 2006, the authors. Used by permission

Abstract

Swift fox (Vulpes velox) and American badger (Taxidea taxus) are sympatric inhabitants of some prairie regions in North America. Although the American badger has been found to prey on swift fox, (Carbyn et al. 1994, Ausband 2005) we report three observations of species interactions made during the summer of 2004 that did not involve predation by the American badger. All three observations are from a reintroduced population of swift fox and occurred on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Glacier County, Montana. The Blackfeet Tribe and Defenders of Wildlife reintroduced 123 captive-reared swift fox from 1998 to 2002 and subsequent monitoring discovered wild-born kits every year since the initial release.