Twenty-six radio-collard San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica) were monitored over 11-12 month periods in 1989-90 and 1990-91 in undeveloped and oil-developed areas so that annual home range, core area, nocturnal range, and denning range sizes and spatial organization could be determined and compared between the area types. Mean annual range sizes for combinedyearswere6.13, 1.18, 5.82, and 1.61 km2,respectively. Exclusive core areas for mated pairs and family groups from foxes in adjacent areas enabled identification of territoriality in kit foxes. Ranges did not differ between adults and juveniles. Males had consistently larger ranges than females, and significantly larger core areas when years were combined. Foxes from the undeveloped area had larger range sizes than those from developed areas during the second year and for both years combined. Differences in ranges by area may be explained by different adaptive responses to temporal changes in food distribution and spatial limitations affected by local drought and mortality conditions. Mean annual home range, core area, nocturnal range, and denning range sizes for mated pairs of 7.91, 1.34, 7.62, and 1.96 km, respectively, should be considered with other criteria used to design kit fox preserve areas.
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