San Juan Island Red Fox
Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) thrive in a wide range of habitats across the Northern and parts of the Southern Hemisphere, including forests, grasslands, mountains, and urban areas. They are native to continental North America, but probably did not occur on San Juan Island until sometime in the 1900s when they were introduced by colonial settlers. There are mixed reports as to why the red foxes were introduced. It may have been for recreational hunting, but it may also have been to help control the rabbit population, which soon exploded after its introduction in the early 1900s.
Today, foxes can be found across the island’s diverse habitats, which range from coastal regions and open grasslands to dense forests and have become an established part of the island's ecosystem. San Juan Island’s red foxes have several color morphs, including red, black, and silver, which adds to their visual diversity. A significant strength of this population for scientific research is that the diversity of color patterns means that individuals can often be identified using variation in these natural markings without the need for invasive methods. Moreover the foxes on the island live across a very wide range of habitats in which they interact with humans in very different ways. This provides a natural laboratory to understand fox behavior, cognition, and how their environment influences their behavior and survival.
