JACKSON, Wyo. — A black and red fox played together in the deep snow during the early morning hours of Friday, March 7.
Buckrail photographer Nick Sulzer observed the multi-colored foxes just south of Grand Teton National Park (GTNP).
The GTNP Foundation wrote on its website that red foxes in the Jackson area can be a variety of colors, including the standard red color, completely black and anything in between.
According to the National Park Service (NPS), darker red foxes, sometimes called “silver foxes,” carry a recessive trait that creates a melanistic color pattern with an abnormal amount of dark pigmentation in the skin, feathers or hair.
Black foxes are considered more unique, but can be seen in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and in other regions of the U.S., per the NPS website. The NPS wrote that “cross” phases of the red fox (a dark cross on their shoulders) have been reported a few times in recent years near Canyon and Lamar Valley in Yellowstone. A lighter-colored red fox has also been seen at higher elevations, the NPS wrote.
