California Foxes

August 24, 2023

Question: Which fox species live in California?

Answer: The simplest answer is that there are four fox species in California: gray fox, island fox, red fox and kit fox. California is home to two subspecies of kit fox, the endangered San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica) and the desert kit fox (Vulpes macrotis arsipus). However, the San Joaquin kit fox is found only in the San Joaquin Valley and is geographically separated from other kit foxes by the Tehachapi Mountains. Additionally, scientists now recognize two native subspecies of red fox in California: Sierra red fox (Vulpes vulpes necator) and Sacramento Valley red fox (Vulpes vulpes patwin) along with the introduced eastern red fox. The earliest known red fox introduction occurred in the southern Sacramento Valley during the 1870s. Early settlers imported and released eastern red foxes for hunting and fur trapping.