Sierra Nevada red fox
| Sierra Nevada red fox | |
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| A Sierra Nevada red fox in Lassen Volcanic National Park, 2002 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Canidae |
| Tribe: | Vulpini |
| Genus: | Vulpes |
| Species: | V. vulpes |
| Subspecies: | V. v. necator |
| Trinomial name | |
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Vulpes vulpes necator Merriam, 1900 |
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| Sierra Nevada red fox historical range and recent sightings | |
The Sierra Nevada red fox (Vulpes vulpes necator), also known as the High Sierra fox, is a subspecies of red fox and likely one of the most endangered mammals in North America. The fox's Sierra Nevada Distinct Population Segment is estimated at 29 adults near Sonora Pass in California. The Southern Cascades Distinct Population Segment consists of an estimated 42 adults near Lassen Volcanic National Park and an unknown number of individuals in five areas of Oregon. No other populations are known. Interbreeding with non-native red foxes and recruitment success are primary conservation concerns.
The State of California banned trapping of Sierra Nevada red fox in 1974 and listed the subspecies as threatened in 1980. The fox is a data gap species in Oregon and designated an Oregon sensitive species by the U.S. Forest Service. The Sierra Nevada Distinct Population Segment is listed as warranted but precluded under the Endangered Species Act. Listing of the Southern Cascades Distinct Population Segment was found to be not warranted.
Like other montane foxes, Sierra Nevada red fox are somewhat smaller and lighter weight than lowland North American red foxes. Their pelage may be red, cross, or silver phase with the red phase having the greyish-blonde coloration characteristic of montane foxes. All three phases occur in the Oregon Cascade and Sonora Pass populations but only red phase individuals have been found in the Lassen population. Pads are fur covered, a common adaptation to travel over snow. Sierra Nevada red fox are long lived relative to other red foxes, five or six years perhaps being a typical lifespan. Non-invasively monitored females have either not bred or bred a minority of years.
Red fox fur was sought after by trappers during the early part of the 20th century because it was softer than that of California’s gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus).
Sierra Nevada red fox are one of three fox subspecies in the montane clade of North America, occurring in the Cascade Mountains south of the Columbia River and California's Sierra Nevada range.Joseph Grinnell identified separated montane fox populations in the Oregon Cascades, Mount Shasta, Lassen Peak, and Sierra Nevada in 1937. Study then lapsed for approximately 60 to 75 years, depending on location. Rediscovery of the Lassen population began in 1993 followed by detection of a Sierra Nevada population at Sonora Pass in 2010 and rediscovery of the Oregon Cascades population began in 2011. The Lassen and Sonora Pass populations are isolated from each other and it is unknown if a population remains at Mount Shasta.
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Wikipedia