Variation in fox coat colouring

Coat colour and genetic mutations in Australian foxes

This is a typical red fox photographed in South Australia.  Its coat colour is orange with some pale and dark flecking in it, it has black ears and legs and a pale tail tip.  Most foxes in Australia look like this.  Only a handful of foxes were introduced to Australia 130 years ago, so its unlikely there was much colour variation in the original stock.

There have been anecdotal reports of colour variation in Australian foxes, including silver and black foxes.  Both of these colour forms (and some others) occur within the fox's natural range.  These colour variations arise from genetic mutations.  They are interesting because it's mutations like these that create the raw material that enables natural selection to adapt organisms to novel environments.

Have you observed colour variations in foxes?

On this page we'd like to post photographs of any colour variations that you've observed in Australian foxes.  They may not be as dramatic as the black fox from Burra (below), but will provide a snapshot of observable genetic variation in Australian foxes. 

The Burra Black Fox

The melanistic fox - a roadkill from near Burra

(photos by Heidi Nicholson)

Flecking on the back

The head

Tail tip

A White fox from Central Victoria

Photos by Dan Mudford