Look at this little guy. Isn’t he so cute? I bet you just want to pet him and hug him and protect him from the big dangerous world out there. You want to do that, don’t you? Well, you better hurry up, cause this one and all the others like him are going to be dead soon. And it’s all of our faults. Especially yours. Yeah. You. You did this. Shame.
The Sierra Nevada Red Fox, scientific name vulpes vulpes necator, is a relatively small fox, weighing in at about 9.3 pounds for males and 7.3 pounds for females. They have a very thick fur coat that, regardless of the name, may be anywhere between red, black, or grayish brown. These thick coats allow the animals to thrive in the extreme winter conditions of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. These foxes are omnivorous creatures that forage whatever food is available, primarily small rodents, berries-such as manzanita- and deer carrion. Carrion is rotting flesh, by the way. That’s icky, right? The lifespan of the fox is estimated to be upwards of seven years, although it has never been directly observed.
The habitat of the Sierra Nevada Red Fox is, shockingly, the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, as well as a separate population in the Southern Cascade Range, which goes through Northern California and Oregon. The Sierra Nevada population, which is the only one protected under the Endangered Species Act, ranges roughly within the counties of Fresno, Inyo, Madera, Mono, and Tuolumne. Their range is pictured to the right. In 2021, only the Sierra Nevada population was granted endangered species protection, and today it is estimated that less than 40 remain in the wild. Very sad ☹ .
The largest threats of the red fox’s fitness are at root a result of climate change. An increase in forest fires has both decreased available habitat for the animals, but has pushed away many food sources that the fox relies on, whether that be the burning of edible plants or the driving out of animals the fox usually eats. Also, the shortening of winters and lessening of the snow pack each winter has taken away the natural conditions in which the foxes thrive. Also, the reduced population of the species means it highly susceptible to the dangers of inbreeding, which may reduce the fitness of individuals, and interbreeding with other species, which in this case may erase this species as we know it today. Maybe now is the time to go see one while you can...
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