DENVER (KDVR) — A black fox was seen wandering through a Denver neighborhood earlier this week. While the fox may be black in color, it is actually a red fox.
“I was driving through my neighborhood and came across this black fox hunting and chasing a squirrel. I’ve never seen a black fox or any fox in the neighborhood so I thought I’d let you guys know,” Adam Dietrich shared.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife said that red foxes can have three color phases: red, crossbred and silver.
- Red is the most common.
- The cross fox has a yellowish back with a dark cross of hairs on the shoulders.
- The silver fox is black with silver tips on some or all of the guard hairs, giving the coat a frosted or silvery appearance.
“METERelanistic foxes, what you see there in the solid black that you have photos of, lack the silver tips. Melanism is controlled by genetics. They are uncommon, but not rare,” said CPW’s Jason Clay.
CPW said that red foxes do well in our urban environments and can be seen at all times of the year.