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A melanistic Red fox (Vulpes vulpes)
I have delayed posting this sighting for a few days under two years.
In the UK, melanistic wild-living Red foxes, sometimes called 'Black foxes' or even 'Silver foxes' are extremely rare, comprising just 0.1% of the non-captive fox population according to records kept by Black Foxes UK.
I had the pleasure of seeing this animal on many occasions over an approx. 18 month period, but it took me a full year before I was finally in the right place at the right time, ready to capture it on film.
The photo above is a screenshot from a compilation video of some of those sightings, which also comes with the full story and an explanation of why I pretty much kept this to myself for a further two years:
The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America and the steppes of Asia.
comments (9)
Note: if you believe the location is sensitive, feel free to remove the geotag and just set the location to country level. Posted one year ago
I am as confident as I can be posting the 'story' is no longer ad risk.
Alas it's been many months since I have seen any foxes at all in that part of the woods. Not even eyes reflecting back at me in my head lamp from vegetation in the dark.
I don't know why new foxes haven't occupied the empty territory until now, but December is the time most likely so I will be checking again soon.
I didn't geolocate it accurately enough for it to be a concern................just in case. Posted one year ago
It's probably a once in a lifetime event, although talking recently to the author of a 1976 Fox and Canid Study, I was told Brighton was an area "where very dark grey foxes foxes were seen" so who knows? Posted one year ago
Posted one year ago
It's mostly rubbish apparently? :-)
Posted one year ago