Nature is frequently the best artist, and her ability to create such intricate color schemes never ceases to amaze. These lovely foxes are thus yet another live example of nature. Their unique color is caused by a rare disease in which their typical blazing red coat alternates with black stripes to produce a captivating appearance.
They are called cross flies, and melanism is their special characteristic. The beautiful colour of animals is a result of the release of melanin, which contains a black pigment.
Even though biologists estimate that such foxes formerly numbered in the millions on the continent of North America, they are currently quite rare.
Sadly, by the turn of the century, there were far fewer of these adorable animals because of the demand for their pricey fur. The only differences between cross foxes and their red relatives are their color and a fluffier tail.
And more recently, as the expert says, Canadian photographer Samuel Saian was able to get rare pictures of these foxes, albeit accidentally. When their eyes met, the fox ran away, but they still managed to capture some amazing pictures.
