Scientists hail find of rare fox in Sierra Nevada

11:35 pm

RENO (AP) — Scientists are hailing the confirmed find of a Sierra Nevada red fox about 90 miles south of Reno, a native subspecies feared extinct in the range since the last verified sighting in 1990.

The fox was photographed Aug. 11 near Sonora Pass on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest by a motion-activated camera set up by U.S. Forest Service employees monitoring the activities of other wildlife.

DNA testing of saliva samples from a chicken-filled sock at the site found the fox is most likely a member of a remnant population of the subspecies in the Sierra, said Ben Sacks, an assistant professor of biology at the University of California, Davis, who conducted the tests.

“This is the most exciting animal discovery we've had in California since the discovery of a wolverine in the Sierra two years ago,” Sacks said. “Only this time the unexpected critter turned out to be homegrown, which is truly big news.”

Researchers determined the wolverine wandered into the Sierra from the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho.

John Perrine, a biology professor at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, said it was the first confirmed sighting of the fox subspecies (Vulpes vulpes necator) in the Sierra since 1990 near Tioga Pass in Yosemite National Park.

“What's exciting is that it shows there are native mountain red foxes in the Sierra right now, which is something we didn't think were still there,” Perrine said. “We didn't have any evidence they were there and now we do.”

The DNA testing showed it's unlikely the fox wandered 150 miles south to Sonora Pass from a very small population of the subspecies around Lassen Peak in northern California, Perrine said.

The fox is genetically distinct from members of that group in the southern Cascade Range, he said. The fox carried a genetic signature seen previously only in three other foxes that were collected in the Sierra before 1926 and later became museum specimens, he added.

Sacks said he thinks other members exist of the subspecies known for its darker-colored, soft fur.

“There's a remote chance they were ready to blink out and we got the last one, but I think that's highly unlikely,” Sacks said. “There have to be other foxes out there in the Sierra.”

Scientists are unsure why the shy creature has declined in numbers. Environmental groups have blamed logging, livestock grazing and trapping.

California banned trapping of the foxes in 1974 and listed the animal as a threatened species in 1980. The Forest Service lists it as a sensitive species in California.

Perrine said evidence indicates the subspecies warrants protection under the federal Endangered Species Act, but he thinks more research is needed to meet the burden of proof for such a listing.

“It's a special, unique part of our natural heritage, and we know now that it's not totally gone,” he said. “We have an opportunity to protect it for the future.”

Rachel Mazur, wildlife biologist for the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, said cameras will be set up in a wider area around Sonora Pass in an effort to learn more about the animal.

“To us, it's definitely a species of concern,” she said. “It's as rare as you can get when you only know of one member of a subspecies.”

http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20100905/NEWS/100909767/1064/NEWS