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DENVER (KDVR) — A black fox was spotted roaming a Denver neighborhood earlier this week. While the fox might be black in color, it’s actually a red fox.

“I was driving through my neighborhood and came across this black fox hunting and chasing a squirrel. I have never seen a black fox nor any fox at all in the neighborhood so I thought I would let you guys know,” Adam Dietrich shared.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife said red foxes can have three color phases: red, cross, and silver.

  • Red is the most common
  • The cross-fox has a yellowish dorsum with a dark cross of hairs over the shoulders
  • The silver fox is black with silver tips on some or all of the guard hairs, lending the pelage a frosted or silver appearance.

“Melanistic foxes, what you see there in the solid black one you got pictures of, are lacking the silver tips. Melanism is controlled by genetics. They are uncommon, but not rare,” Jason Clay with CPW said. 

Red fox, Adam Dietrich

CPW said red foxes do well in our urban environments and can be spotted at all times of the year.