A red fox with all black fur, also called a silver fox, plays hide and seek with a deer in Sheridan Lake, B.C.
Image Credit: Jackie Tate
July 15, 2020 - 7:00 AM
We've all seen some unlikely friends in nature, and this playful pair caught on video in central B.C. is no exception.
In a video shot at a residence in Sheridan Lake, around a half hour east of 100 Mile House, a playful fox encounters a doe.
This fox is particularly playful, playing hide and seek with the curious doe around a tree before trying to coax her into a chasing game.
What's curious about the video is that the fox doesn't look like a fox — it appears to have black fur.
Thompson Rivers University small mammal specialist Dr. Karl Larsen identified the animal as a rare variety of red fox, sometimes called a silver fox. Up close, their dark fur ends in white silvery tips.
"I’ve never seen a live one," Larsen said in an email. "It’s like a black bear also coming in browns, blondes or even whites (spirit bear)."
These black-furred foxes make up less than 10 per cent of red foxes, he said, and at one time were prized by trappers for their unique pelts.
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