[3] Some mammalogists classify it as conspecific with the swift fox, V. velox,[4] but molecular systematics indicate that the two species are distinct.

[5] Interbreeding between the two species does occur where their ranges overlap (eastern New Mexico and western Texas), but this hybridization is quite restricted in scope.

[7] On September 26, 2007, Wildlands Inc. announced the designation of the 684 acre (277 ha) Deadman Creek Conservation Bank, which is intended specifically to protect habitat of the San Joaquin kit fox.

Its color ranges from yellow to gray, and the back is usually darker than the majority of its coat; its belly and inner ears are usually lighter.

The shoulders, the lower sides, the flanks, and the strip about 25 mm wide across the chest range in color from buffy to orange.

It can be found south through Nevada, Utah, southeastern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and into western Texas.

[2] Vegetation habitats vary with the regional fauna, but some examples are sagebrush Artemisia tridentata and saltbrush Atriplex polycarpa.

[12] Kit foxes are mostly nocturnal[13] and sometimes crepuscular;[12] they escape heat stress during the day by resting in underground dens.

Kit foxes are not exceptionally territorial, preferring to live in pairs or small groups of relatives.

[12] Dens are used during the year for daytime resting, escaping predators, avoiding extreme heat, preserving moisture, and carrying and rearing young.

[14] Kit Foxes will dig their own dens, but they can also modify and use the burrows of badgers, ground squirrels, prairie dogs, and kangaroo rats.

[6] The apparent velocity of kit foxes is essentially an illusion created by their limited size and cryptic coloration, and their incredible ability to evade and change directions.

[6] Kit foxes are opportunistic omnivores and scavengers, possibly regulated by prey abundance,[15] but primarily carnivorous.

Pups emerge from the den at about one month of age and spend several hours each day playing outside the entrance.

The male seems to do most of the hunting during this period, and later, both parents provide food until the pups start to forage with them at three to four months of age.