The Research

Little is known about the Sacramento Valley red fox, which was first recorded in the valley around 1880. We are launching a study to determine the current distribution and status of this species in the Sacramento Valley. The study entails three parts: (1) seeking sightings of red foxes or dens from residents of the Sacramento Valley, (2) collecting road-killed specimens for genetic, reproductive, age, and health indexes, and (3) collection of feces and hair from around dens for genetic material.

Please help with our studies by reporting information on the Report a Sighting link above. Please consult the Fox or Coyote link to see markings distinguishing red fox, gray fox, and coyotes. Thanks to tips from many of you, we have thus far located 6 confirmed active dens this year and are currently looking into several others.


Affiliates

This research is being conducted in conjunction with:
School of Veterinary Medicine
Veterinary Genetics Laboratory

Privacy

To protect the privacy of residents (humans and foxes), your location information will not be made public. However, we will summarize the major findings of this survey to be updated periodically on this web site, such as frequency by county.