{"id":174855,"date":"2026-02-12T09:51:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T09:51:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/174855\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T09:51:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T09:51:25","slug":"highly-elusive-animal-spotted-for-the-first-time-ever-in-california-mountains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/174855\/","title":{"rendered":"Highly elusive animal spotted for the first time ever in California mountains"},"content":{"rendered":"

The highly elusive Sierra Nevada red fox <\/a>was spotted for the first time ever in the southern portion of the California mountain range.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

It marks the first time the department has been able to capture and fit one of California\u2019s rarest and most elusive native carnivores with a GPS-tracking collar in the southern Sierra Nevadas.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Highly<\/p>\n

Highly elusive Sierra Nevada red fox captured in the southern Sierra Nevadas. X\/@CaliforniaDFW<\/p>\n

The red fox was then released into the CA mountain range, allowing the department to \u200b\u200bclosely track the fox\u2019s movements.<\/p>\n

Officials explained this opportunity is a huge step toward understanding the rare species and conservation needs of the remote group.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis 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,\u201d said CDFW Environmental Scientist Julia Lawson.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone on the team was thrilled to see our hard work pay off,\u201d she added. \u201cOur goal is to use what we learn from this collared animal to work toward recovering the population in the long term.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Sierra Nevada red foxes are protected as a Threatened Species under the California Endangered Species Act, per the release.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

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

\u201cThe population in the Sierra Nevada has additional federal protection, considered an Endangered Species under the federal Endangered Species Act,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n

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It is estimated that there are fewer than 50 of them in the entire Sierra Nevada population.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Sierra Nevada red fox looks right into the camera. X\/@CaliforniaDFW<\/p>\n

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

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