Genetic Mutations 

    When you think of foxes you generally think of a red color. But foxes can be several different colors and even change color from season to season. Arctic foxes for example are brown or grey in the spring time and turn white when winter comes. It's a form of seasonal adaptation.

    Mutations can change a fox's color too. Red foxes can become a silver or black color. These mutations are a result of melanistic color morphs. Melanin is a process that makes a fox’s natural fur color darker through a genetic mutation. It is the absence of light coloring, this is due to a dark-colored pigment called melanin that develops in the skin and hair. Around 10% of wild red foxes have melanistic morphs.   

    I was lucky enough to get photos of a black fox in the wild, although the quality was unfortunately poor. At first I thought it was a skunk but, upon looking at my photos, it turned out to be a fox. This inspired my character Erica “Lapis Lazuli” Atchfire to have blue hair as a genetic mutation as well. I love applying science to my science fiction world. Look for her in my book Signature Rainbows Wane once it's published.