Island foxes: when little gray foxes get littler. Island foxes (Urocyon littoralis) live *only* on the Channel Islands off the coast of California. Confined to a small ecosystem, island foxes evolved from mainland gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) to have smaller bodies; a natural process called “insular dwarfism.” I had to take a ferry for like an hour and a half to get to the Channel Islands, so how did the island foxes get there? In our latest episode, Urocyonology (LITTLE GRAY FOXES), conservationist Bill Leikam tells us there’s still a debate. “Some people say native people living on the mainland exported them out to the islands in their travels. Others say, no, it was when the islands were part of the mainland and broke off millions of years ago, that they took [gray foxes] along with it.” Island foxes only weigh around 4 or 5 pounds, half the size of the average housecat! And the National Park Service notes that the Indigenous Chumash revered these foxes as sacred and thought they helped usher in dreams. And now I personally would follow them into the beyond. For more on these cute faces, bushy tails and stinky butts, listen to Urocyonology (LITTLE GRAY FOXES) at the link in bio or wherever you listen to podcasts. Photos via @joelsartore (1 & 10), @jhoffertphotography (2), @momoboforeal (3), @aquabirdy (4), @wildlifebyhayden (5), @kreature_encounters (6), @jimmyb_intothewild (7), @catalinaconservancy / Karl E. Huggins (8), @chelseamayerphotography (9)