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COZUMEL, Mexico — After more than two decades without a sighting, the elusive Cozumel fox has been captured on camera for the first time.
While the historic image was taken in 2023, a newly released scientific study has officially documented the breakthrough, confirming the species still survives after years of concern that it may have gone extinct.
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Researchers note that while the dwarf fox has lived exclusively on the Island of Cozumel for thousands of years, prior physical evidence had been limited largely to subfossil remains, and the species itself has received little scientific attention despite its isolation.
Full-body photograph of adult male Cozumel fox following release in Laguna Colombia State Reserve.
(Rafael Chacón / Neotropical Biology and Conservation)
According to a study published in the journal Neotropical Biology and Conservation, the Cozumel dwarf fox had not been reported since 2001. Researchers say the population likely evolved through insular dwarfism and is only about 60% to 80% the size of mainland gray foxes.
That changed on Sept. 14, 2023, when an adult male was located and photographed along Cozumel’s coastal highway after reports surfaced on social media of a disoriented fox wandering near the road.
Park authorities with the Cozumel Parks and Museums Foundation safely secured the disoriented animal, releasing it into a protected reserve three days later after a full health assessment was completed.
An image of a dwarf gray fox captured on the island of Cozumel, Mexico. An adult male Cozumel fox is shown partially concealed behind foliage before capture by the Fundación de Parques y Museos de Cozumel (FPMC) on Sept. 14, 2023.
(Rafael Chacón / Neotropical Biology and Conservation)
“This observation confirms the species’ continued presence and highlights its likely critical conservation status,” the study said.
To ensure the survival of this elusive fox, researchers urge targeted surveys, population monitoring and taxonomic assessments, along with habitat protection and measures to minimize human-wildlife conflict.
