CDFW needs YOUR HELP with research on the distribution of the rare and threatened Sierra Nevada Red Fox. If you observe a red fox in the Sierra Nevada, Southern Cascade, or Klamath mountain ranges at elevations above 2500 feet, please report your observation:
REPORT YOUR OBSERVATION
Red Fox, Gray Fox or Coyote? Determine the difference.
Sierra Nevada red foxes are typically found at high elevations (above approximately 5,000 feet in the southern Cascades and 7,000 feet in the central Sierra Nevada) and utilize a variety of habitats including alpine and barren areas, subalpine forests, red fir forests, lodgepole pine forests, mixed conifer forests, and meadows.
The historic distribution of the Sierra Nevada Red Fox in California included much of the Sierra Nevada, the southern Cascades near Lassen Peak and Mount Shasta, and the Klamath Mountains near Mt. Eddy and the eastern Trinity Alps. In recent decades, the Sierra Nevada Red Fox has been detected in the Lassen Peak region and in the central Sierra Nevada near Sonora Pass and Yosemite National Park. However, undetected populations may exist throughout these ranges – the red fox population occurring near Sonora Pass was not found until 2010!