Sierra Nevada Red Fox Facts | Yosemite Wildlife Guide
The taxonomy of North American red foxes is a tangled web. Most populations across the continent descended from imported European red foxes, which interbred with native subspecies and then expanded to other areas. In the western mountain states, there are also three separate high-elevation subspecies.
While they can range from deep red in color, to grizzled grey or an extremely light yellow, there are a few characteristics that can help identify red foxes regardless of their color phase. Look for the black “socks” on their legs, white cheek patches and a white tip on the end of their bushy tail. The nose is more pointed than that of a coyote, and they are significantly smaller, only weighing 8 to 15 pounds.
HABITAT & FEEDING HABITS
Red foxes become easily accustomed to human presence. They can be found living in suburban neighborhoods as long as they can find places (like cavities under decks) to hide and breed. They live in every state in the U.S. except for Hawaii, and on every continent except Antarctica. In the wild they prefer edge habitat where they can hunt voles, birds, eggs, lizards and other small prey in open meadows and then retreat to the woods for protection.An Insider's Journey into Yosemite
CXL Yosemite Valley Explorer
From $5995
Limited to 14 Travelers