Why Is The Catalina Island Fox Important? It is Catalina’s largest terrestrial predator. In late 1999, an outbreak of distemper virus caused the fox population to plummet from about 1,300 to just 100 animals. … That year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Catalina Island fox as a federally endangered species. Today, monitoring
What Are The Similarities And Differences Between The Island Fox And The Mainland GREY Fox? The island fox is one-third smaller than its mainland ancestor, the gray fox. At 12 to 13 inches in height and 4 to 5 pounds, the island fox is about the size of a housecat. Some individuals have been known
Is The Island Fox Endangered? Although foxes have always existed at low population sizes, four island fox subspecies underwent catastrophic declines in the 1990s. On San Miguel, Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Islands at Channel Islands National Park, the decline was attributed to predation by golden eagles. How many island foxes are left? After several
What Conservation Actions Were Taken To Bring Populations Of The Channel Island Fox Back Up? In 2000, the Conservancy and partners began bringing 20 foxes into captivity to protect them from predation and increase their numbers in a captive-breeding facility designed to mimic their natural environment. After six seasons, 85 pups were produced by the