The pic above is not mine. I didn't have a camera on me at the time. But it's exactly what he looked like.
I was just wondering how rare are they?
Matt
This one was even more black than the pic I posted. The last 2" of his tail was pure white. Absolutely gorgeous animal. Legend says. seeing a silver fox is bad luck, but I felt privileged.
Matt
Huntcell 's Link
On March 29, game cameras at Staunton State Park in Pine, Colorado, caught a glimpse of a silver fox – a sight that's far more rare than the red ones, although they are the same species. According to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website, there are genetic variations in foxes, resulting in four recognized color phases: red, cross, silver and black. While the red color is what's most commonly seen in the wild, foxes in all color phases can always be identified by the white tip on their tails (though hard to see in this photo). Silver foxes make up about 10% of the fox population and can be found in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Read More: Silver Fox Spotted in a Colorado Park | https://retro1025.com/silver-fox-spotted-in-a-colorado-park/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
That one could be the twin brother of the one I saw. It was almost entirely black, with a very slight silver sheen, and the white tipped tail.
I routinely see foxes at our condo. I even trained one to feed from my hands once. But I'd never seen a Silver/black one. I hope he runs the same route this morning. I'll have a camera ready for him.
Matt
Matt
Matt
Then years later while in Colorado actually ran across two red fox dens out in the eastern plains and both had at least on black pup in the litter.... Both litters were mixed with red and blacks... I think the silver/black phase runs natural in Colorado...
Furriers grade the silver shades, light, medium and dark or black (I think is how they do)... Was just at a arts and craft randevou type event called called Great Trails Festival last weekend near Malvern and a couple stands had a few tanned silver fox hides that I thought was very reasonable at $100 - $110… Heck, back in the day when we were raising them you couldn’t touch a silver/black hide in the raw for under 200 bucks, they were very expensive back in the day… But the prettiest red fox color phase I ever seen was a wild one locally here of the Cross Fox color….It was a pup of that year while in the winter deer hunting… An absolutely gorgeous animal… Only seen it the one time…
And then there was this crazy time I was getting my bow, and gear out of the vehicle to get on evening stand and here comes walking up the side of the road right to me was this full grown white phase red fox… He wasn’t an albino, but at least 90 percent pure white and had colored eyes and a little light brown/butterscotch streaking through him and the black spot on his tail… He walked right up to me 4 or 5 feet acting like he was looking for something to eat… I tried to get a hold of him but wouldn’t allow me close enough to touch him… After I tried to chase him a little he finally had enough and wandered off… I actually thought about shooting him at the time but was almost sure it had to have been somebody’s pet so I let him go…. Later I asked the landowner about him and he looked at me like I’d lost my mind...8^) He nor any of the neighbors had never seen nor heard of him at the time…. Looking back now, wish I would have shot him, would have made a cool tanned pelt...
Neighbor has "ring" door bell pics. of the black also.
One time a couple pups from a litter of 8 that were just several weeks old escaped as I was trying to give them worm medicine. I got all of them back except one. That fall, several months later, we were spotting for deer down in the state park below the house and saw that silver fox in a field of knee high grass... and when the light shined on him he lifted his head and had a mouse in his mouth. I was amazed and very glad that he survived. He was healthy looking, well filled out, and gordeous. He was in an area of the park that was closed to hunting and I never heard anything about him again after that, so who knows.
Seriously nope, pretty cool hopefully one day!
Yeah Jeff, I knew some of the fox farms were breeding different color phases and seen pictures... Also watch a nature program were some Russian scientist was breeding them for years for domestication... Can't exactly remember how many generations it took but they had bred them to the point the had floppy ears and curly tails and all different colors....
Zbone's Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-EXeZXwO08
Matt
That is a gorgeous fox, Maybe my Blacky will breed with the Red I've seen in the same area and produce a Cross like that.
Matt
Thanks for sharing!
So beautiful, wife could hardly believe its real.
I have a question for you guys who are more familiar with silver foxes than I am. Do their coats change significantly going into the winter? The one I photographed above has more silver than the one I saw 2 weeks ago. Both were in the same area behind my condo. Do I have 2 different silver fox neighbors, or could it be the same fox who is growing into his winter coat?
Matt
