The Cascade red fox (''Vulpes vulpes cascadensis'') is an endangered subspecies of
red fox
The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
Origins
The ancestors of the Cascade red fox colonized
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
'' Retrieved on 10 December 2017. During the
Wisconsin glaciation
The Wisconsin glaciation, also called the Wisconsin glacial episode, was the most recent glacial period of the North American ice sheet complex, peaking more than 20,000 years ago. This advance included the Cordilleran Ice Sheet, which nucleated ...
, they were pushed south to escape to ice free forests. From that point, they adapted to the colder climate and became distinct. After the glaciation, they moved up into the mountains where conditions were similar.
Diet
They prey on small mammals and birds living only in the mountains. Due to this, they have an ecology distinct from lowland red foxes.
NatureServe
NatureServe, Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Arlington County, Virginia, United States, US, that provides proprietary wildlife conservation-related data, tools, and services to private and government clients, partner organizations, and ...
'', 20 September 2011. Retrieved on 10 December 2017. It lives in the subalpine meadows and parklands of the Cascade Mountains, as well as the open forests on the eastern slope. It does not however inhabit the densely forested western slope. It may inhabit the very southern parts of
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
. Recent surveys have suggested that they are becoming rarer. This might be due to habitat loss from
climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
,
logging
Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidder, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or trunk (botany), logs onto logging truck, truckscoyotes and lowland red foxes to enter their habitat. Some populations might have gone extinct. The current number of individuals seems to be around 5
Conservation
The Cascade red fox is a Natural Heritage Critically Imperiled Species, as well as a Washington Endangered Species. Lack of information has made conservation efforts much harder.