Foxes

Edg3

Im not sure if this is the place to put this, but im wondering, could anyone tell me the type of fox this is. And are they in ireland to? I captured the images in germany.

EGAR

Vulpes Vulpes, Red Fox and yes we've got them here too.

Mickeroo

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure that it's just a common Red Fox. They're very common in Ireland in both country and urban areas, saw one in my back garden just last week!

Edg3

i thought they were just normal red foxes to, but i seen them last year and they looked alot different, i cant seem to find the picture i uploaded to my flickr last year, but they looked like half shaved sheep, and i'd never seen a red fox like that.

Edg3

Also can you tell me what kind of fox the black one is, ive never seen one like it before. Only ever come across them here.

Mickeroo

It's probably a Red Fox with a genetic anomaly.

The black fox is in fact a red fox which is going through a phase where the colour of its fur is particularly dark.

The unusual colouring is normally seen on growing cubs before the fox develops its dark chestnut coat, however some red foxes remain black due to a rare genetic flaw, which dates back hundreds of years.

Ful article here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2984313/Unlucky-rare-black-fox-spotted-in-Britain.html

Edg3

Oh wow, i thought that but i wasnt sure. Because i never seen any fully grown black ones, and the fur on the one i seen last year was a darker color that it seemed to be shedding. Thank you very much! has helped me alot!

Edg3

ah i found one of the pictures from last year

Mickeroo

Looks like that one's been through the wars.

Edg3

Its to uniform to be that though. It was all the way around, almost like he'd only put on his fur pants that morning

Dusty87

Im on my phone so the pic isnt the clearest, is it mange??

JuliusCaesar

Yeah that's what popped into my head, but isn't mange patchier? We'll have to link some of the Pets people into this thread!

steddyeddy

Well dark coated foxs are being reported more frequently lately, it could be simply a genetic variant of a known species which due to a shift in gene frequencies is becoming a new morph within the genus.

Edit: Sorry I was talking about the dark haired fox. The fox in the lower pic looks like it has mange, it also has an unusual facial pattern.

Adam Khor

The dark coated fox is most likely melanistic (the same mutation that causes some leopards and other big cats to be black). The interesting thing about melanism is that unlike other mutations, like the one that causes albinism, it doesn´t hinder the animal's chances to survive in the wild. In fact, it seems that melanistic animals have a stronger immune system than those with normal coats- in some parts of Asia for example, diseases wipe out normal colored leopards leaving only the black ones behind.

Meaning that one day, in the future, there may be only black leopards left in the world... and perhaps even, only black "red" foxes

steddyeddy

Adam Khor wrote: »

The dark coated fox is most likely melanistic (the same mutation that causes some leopards and other big cats to be black). The interesting thing about melanism is that unlike other mutations, like the one that causes albinism, it doesn´t hinder the animal's chances to survive in the wild. In fact, it seems that melanistic animals have a stronger immune system than those with normal coats- in some parts of Asia for example, diseases wipe out normal colored leopards leaving only the black ones behind.

Meaning that one day, in the future, there may be only black leopards left in the world... and perhaps even, only black "red" foxes

Thats if the diseases dont evolve faster than the leopards!

Adam Khor

steddyeddy wrote: »

Thats if the diseases dont evolve faster than the leopards!

You never know... but I'm on Team Leopard, anyways XD

Galvasean

The Dublin City foxed seem darker in colour to the one's I've seen in the west country and north county Dublin. Are they a different species/breed or are they simply dirty from an urban lifestyle.

steddyeddy

Galvasean wrote: »

The Dublin City foxed seem darker in colour to the one's I've seen in the west country and north county Dublin. Are they a different species/breed or are they simply dirty from an urban lifestyle.

Probraly a different morph if anything. I wouldnt say their a different species.

aidoh

I'd say it's probably diet related. Foxes in town aren't going to be mainly eating rabbits and magpies, they'll be licking up drunk peoples' vomit and knicking chips and scraps of food out of bins.
Maybe they aren't getting enough (whatever) in their diet to keep their fur nice and bright or something.

LovelyHurling

Or possibly the fact that in urban areas, one is more likely to come across a fox at night time.

Perhaps street lamps may make the red fox's coat appear slightly darker than a coat one might observe on a red fox galloping through the countryside during the daytime.

Edg3 wrote: »

ah i found one of the pictures from last year

This, indeed, looks like sarcoptic mange. You can see that the scruffiness (beyond the normal level) extends from head and the hind, although it is difficult to establish the body condition from the photograph.

In fact, I daresay part of the reason you were able to take this picture of the apparently inattentive fox at rest was down to his being preoccupied with a sarcoptic mange infestation. You will sometimes hear of farmers who come across mangy foxes in their cowsheds who only manage to limp away disinterestedly from their host.

Galvasean

Saw a very healthy looking fox hanging around the beacon Hotel yesterday