The island fox’s incredible comeback May 20, 2019

The island fox’s incredible comeback

Meet the island fox, a petite resident of California’s Channel Islands National Park and a true comeback kid. The house-cat-sized creature is endemic to the islands, meaning it’s found nowhere else on Earth. In the 1990s, scientists observed the island fox population on Santa Cruz Island had dropped to fewer than 100 animals. The decline was attributed largely to golden eagles, who moved into new territory after bald eagle populations declined and found the island foxes to be easy prey. (Golden eagles are more prodigious hunters than bald eagles.) Environmental groups launched an effort to bring back the island fox, in part by relocating golden eagles, and by 2015, the population on Santa Cruz Island had rebounded to about 1,750. That’s good news for the fox–and for the entire island ecosystem. As the eagle situation demonstrated, most things in nature are interconnected.

© Ian Shive/Tandem Motion + Stills

palette

Today in History

May 20, 2018Who doesn’t love a ‘Puppy’?
May 20, 2020It s World Bee Day
May 20, 2021Happy Bee Day to you
May 20, 2022World Bee Day
May 20, 2023World Bee Day
May 20, 2024World Bee Day
May 20, 2025World Bee Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jun 13, 2025Vila Franca Islet, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal
Jul 6, 2025Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park, California
Nov 7, 2018A triumph of light
May 19, 2021A path lain with petals
Oct 5, 2018Is that a smile?
Sep 21, 2024Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
Oct 23, 2019Polar bear capital of the world
Oct 11, 20181.1 billion opportunities for a better world
May 4, 2019Visiting Ahch-To on Star Wars Day
Dec 2, 2018Winter in Old Nuuk
May 22, 2019The artists come to Venice
Dec 14, 2024Christmas Bird Count turns 125
Jan 28, 2023The Bahamas as seen from the ISS
Jul 19, 2018Cosplay strongly encouraged
Jul 29, 2018A Bengal tiger in Ranthambore National Park, India
Jan 29, 2019A winter’s holiday ends
Dec 28, 2019Did they forget to fly south?
Mar 27, 2018Macro photograph of a migrant hawker dragonfly
Apr 21, 2019The Easter Bunny’s story
May 18, 2019A ‘city’ within Valencia
Nov 5, 2023Playa del Silencio, Spain
Jul 3, 2025Rainbow River, Rainbow Springs State Park, Florida
Jan 29, 2020Staircase of turquoise pools
Mar 12, 2019The otherworldly red river
Apr 25, 2021One giant leap for penguins
Dec 5, 2023Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles, Bavaria, Germany
Jan 2, 2025Ardez, Graubunden, Switzerland
Mar 4, 2019The eloquence of elephants
Aug 1, 2019Hawaii Volcanoes National Park turns 103
Nov 22, 2025Leshan Giant Buddha, Sichuan, China