The highly elusive Sierra Nevada red fox was spotted for the first time ever in the southern portion of the California mountain range.

Biologists with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) at the Bishop Field Office managed to safely capture the animal near Mammoth Lakes in January, according to a release from the CDFW.

It marks the first time the department has been able to capture and fit one of California’s rarest and most elusive native carnivores with a GPS-tracking collar in the southern Sierra Nevadas.

Highly elusive Sierra Nevada red fox captured in the southern Sierra Nevadas. X/@CaliforniaDFW

The red fox was then released into the CA mountain range, allowing the department to ​​closely track the fox’s movements.

Officials explained this opportunity is a huge step toward understanding the rare species and conservation needs of the remote group.

“This represents the culmination of 10 years of remote camera and scat surveys to determine the range of the fox in the southern Sierra, and three years of intensive trapping efforts,” said CDFW Environmental Scientist Julia Lawson.

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“Everyone on the team was thrilled to see our hard work pay off,” she added. “Our goal is to use what we learn from this collared animal to work toward recovering the population in the long term.” 

Check this out! CDFW biologists captured & GPS-collared an elusive Sierra Nevada Red Fox in the southern Sierra for the first time ever! Very little is known about this rare species & scientists are excited to learn more through tracking its movement. pic.twitter.com/zqxzsq6OKN

— California Department of Fish and Wildlife (@CaliforniaDFW) February 10, 2026

The red fox is seen in several different views running across the mountain covered snow range in a post on X about the capture. At one point, the animal even looks directly at the camera.

Sierra Nevada red foxes are protected as a Threatened Species under the California Endangered Species Act, per the release.

The Sierra Nevada red fox was captured and fitted with a GPS-tracking collar. X/@CaliforniaDFW

“The population in the Sierra Nevada has additional federal protection, considered an Endangered Species under the federal Endangered Species Act,” it added.

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It is estimated that there are fewer than 50 of them in the entire Sierra Nevada population. 

The remote foxes in the Sierra Nevada are isolated from their relatives in the Cascade Range. In 2018, a CDFW biologist managed to collar several red foxes in the Lassen Peak region of northern California, allowing similar research in northern Sierra Nevadas.

The Sierra Nevada red fox looks right into the camera. X/@CaliforniaDFW

The discovery follows another rare one when a 3-year-old female lone grey wolf was recently spotted on a trail camera in the mountains north of Santa Clarita in Los Angeles county, seeking a mate and a suitable habitat.

The CDFW has been tracking her movements since 2024 via GPS and told the Los Angeles Times she passed through the deserts of Kern County and survived multiple crossings of busy highways.