Photographer Captures Beautiful Photos of a Rare and Unique ‘Fire Fox’

Foxes are beautiful animals, but in Canada, there’s a special fox called a cross fox. These unusual foxes are a partially melanistic color variant of the more common red fox that people usually associate with a fox. However, the cross fox had a long dark stripe that runs down its back and intersects with another stripe, thereby forming a cross over the animal’s shoulders. This is what gives it the name of “cross fox.” These beautiful animals are mostly in the northern area of Canada and are much rarer than the common red fox. At one time, this beautiful fox was also found in Utah and Idaho.

Unfortunately, the cross fox population in the northern United States has been mostly killed off. Occasionally, someone reports a cross fox in Scandinavia, surprisingly, but they’re exceptionally rare outside of Canada. When it comes to physical conformation, the cross fox is identical to the common red fox, though they can sometimes be slightly larger. Also, they may have a bit more wool under their feet and have bushier tails. Historically, this beautiful creature has been hunted because of its unique coloring, and in the late 1800s, 4500 pelts of the cross fox were exported every year by the Hudson’s Bay Company.

A photographer and animal lover named Sam Gaby recently earned the trust of a cross fox in Newfoundland, and he was able to snap some stunning photographs of his friend. Gaby says that cross foxes make up about 30 percent of Canada’s red fox population, and they’re even more beautiful in person than the photos reveal. The man said that his first interaction and encounter with the fox was “calculated,” with Sam being focused on not disturbing the fox. He wanted to make sure he knew that the human photographing him wasn’t a threat.

Sam said that the fox was unsure of his presence at first, and it took a while for Sam to gain the fox’s trust.

Fortunately for us, Sam didn’t give up and now we get to see these gorgeous photos.

After the first couple of months, Sam returned several times throughout the year so that he could check on his buddy the fox.

Every time he came, he learned something new about his friend and he later got to meet the fox’s sibling, who is just as strikingly beautiful.

Sam describes the foxes as not only beautiful but also very intelligent.

Sam has watched him hunt, as well as hiding and retrieving his food stores.

In fact, Sam named the foxes, which is of course a human construct, but fun nonetheless.

Their names are Mat and Pat.

Watch this video below.

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