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Published in the journal Neotropical Biology and Conservation by researchers Travis D. Bayer, Maggie A. McGreal, and A. Rafael Chacón D., the short communication details the rescue of an adult male Cozumel dwarf fox on the morning of September 14, 2023. Following reports from the public regarding a disoriented animal near kilometer 29 on the coastal highway, the Fundación de Parques y Museos de Cozumel successfully located and safely recovered the fox.
After being held under observation and receiving a full health assessment, it was released on September 17, 2023, into the Laguna Colombia State Reserve, a protected area chosen for its suitability and distance from road hazards.
Insular dwarfism
The Cozumel dwarf fox (Urocyon sp.) is one of the rarest canids on the planet and represents a unique population that has inhabited the small Caribbean island for millennia, with subfossil remains suggesting its presence may predate early Mayan settlement. This extensive period of isolation led to rapid evolutionary divergence and "insular dwarfism." The Cozumel dwarf fox is estimated to be 60-80% the size of its mainland relative, the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus). Prior to this rediscovery, physical evidence of the fox was entirely limited to these subfossil remains, and the last second-hand sighting had been reported in 2001.
