A Fox of a Different Color
Colorado Foxes Range in Color From Red to Black
I saw a fox the other day. I haven’t seen many in RMNP, but when I do, it’s a moment of beauty. Often associated with cunning and intelligence, they can also symbolize intuition and trickery as if a cartoon fox. Colorado foxes are known for their beautiful coats and colorful fur variations ranging from red to black.
About sixty years ago, I saw my first fox draped around my grandmother’s shoulder. There were dried heads clinging to the next tail in a loop of three foxes. The fox fur stole was a popular fashion accessory in the mid-20th century. Seeing those three foxes hanging around my grandmother’s neck impacted my decision to hunt only with my camera.
A couple of years ago, I was out on a RMNPhotography Tour, and we were photographing a moose. Standing on a hillside, looking out over the marsh of a willow field, a bull moose had just laid down. Resting would allow for digestion of the willow twigs he had just eaten. We knew once he was down, he would stay down for some time, so we began to pack up our camera gear.
That’s when the fox appeared. A bit surprised, I pointed but stayed quiet. My photography friend did the same, but our cameras were back up. I was sure the red fox would scoot away as soon as he noticed us. Instead, he began hunting voles right there on the hillside.
First, he would stand still, unmoving, watching the ground for grass to be disturbed. When he saw movement, he would jump into an arch and nose dive down through the grass. Then in the next moment, he would sit back, his breakfast captured.
All the while, our cameras were in action. We captured him watching us, sitting, jumping, and eating. His focus was more on the meal than the intruding photographers. And we took pictures but did not move, trying not to disturb, only wanting to capture the moment.
Early on another morning, I was driving up a road when around the curve I saw movement. First, it was a red fox feeding in the grass. She was beautiful in her red coat and youthful face looking innocent. Then more movement, and another fox, maybe a brother or sister appeared.
I gasped. My first silver fox or was it a black fox. It was hard to tell. The silver fox is black with a frosted look of silver-tipped hairs, while a black fox is entirely black due to a genetic mutation.
While I had seen pictures, I had never seen a red fox of this color variation. His black coat and white-tipped tail highlighted the yellow of his eyes. Relatively unique in Colorado, the silver or black morph appears in about 10% of the red fox population. This was a rare moment, and, of course, I was capturing photos.
Then last week, I was on an early morning photography journey through RMNP. My photography partner was driving when we both saw another photographer intently searching the hillside. We slowed looking down the hill. There, standing unmoving was a gray animal with yellow and white highlighted fur.
My friend squinted, “Is that a lynx?” Without waiting for him to stop, I grabbed my camera, slipped off my seatbelt, and gripped the door handle ready to open it. A lynx. This could be the photography chance of a lifetime. I knew there are a limited number of lynx in Colorado since their reintroduction starting in the late 1990s.
He stopped the car, I was out, and my camera went into action. Immediately I was disappointed. It wasn’t a lynx. Instead it was a multi-colored fox in dark grays and black with white highlights. Was it a cross fox?
The cross fox color variation is a yellowish body with darker fur highlighted by a black cross marking over its shoulders and back. Though rare, cross fox variations of a red fox naturally occur. Through my camera lens, I looked for the dark cross, but the remains of his long winter coat made it hard to distinguish.
Still, he entertained us moving over logs like a skilled tight-rope walker. He was on the hunt as he searched the under-brush. In and out of the tall grasses, he would disappear, camouflaged by his unique coat. Then he would reappear, glancing back at us as if posing for the photo. It was a wonderful twenty minutes of wildlife photography.
Lowering my camera, I watched him. I was glad, even relieved that changing attitudes and public awareness about the ethical treatment of animals has significantly moved the fashion industry away from using animal fur. I think, with some significant explanation, even my grandmother would have agreed.
So I celebrated the images I’d captured. Red fox variations, whether I had red, crossed, silver, or black foxes, were a unique and wonderful wildlife photography opportunity.
Maybe one day I’ll photograph a lynx too.
