Fox colours explained

Colors of foxes depend on the type of fox and the time of year. Some foxes change colors multiple times with the seasons. Desert foxes usually retain their tan colors but may change when they shed. There are foxes that are born or bred with mutations that give them unusal colors.

There are over 30 species of foxes, with many different colors of fur. Each species of foxes come in different colors and have multiple color morphs depending on the time of year and the particular mutation they are born with.

Why Some Foxes Change Colors

Foxes change colors for a couple of reasons. Most red foxes and arctic foxes will change colors when they start to shed. They do this so that they will stay cooler in the warmer months. Their fur losing some of its defining colors and makes them appear to be darker or lighter than normal. In the spring and summertime Arctic foxes are a darker color, usually a brown or gray color. They have adapted to match the colors of the earth around them. In the winter months, they turn white.
Red foxes will oftentimes change from red to gold depending on the time of year, they also do this as a seasonal adaptation.

Some foxes will change colors when they molt with different growth cycles. When they are young they are a brown or gray color, later they take on the color of their species.

What Are Mutations?

Mutations are color variations or morphs that occur in different species of foxes. Some of these mutations occur naturally in the wild, however, a lot of them are the product of breeding programs from fur farms.

Red foxes and arctic foxes have many color mutations. Some of the mutations are caused by the different regions that they live, while others are from breeding. Red foxes can be a silver color or black color. These mutations are a result of melanistic color morphs and vary in coloring. All silver foxes have some black, and some black mutations have a little bit of silver but there are also completely black mutations.