Silver fox (animal)
Historically, silver foxes were among the most valued fur-bearers, and their pelts were frequently worn by nobles in Russia, Western Europe, and China.
[3] Wild silver foxes do not naturally reproduce exclusively with members of the same coat morph and can be littermates with the common red variety,[4] although captive populations bred for the blue fox fur and as pets are almost exclusively mated with members of the same colour.
The uniformly blackish brown or chocolate coloured underfur, which is unusually long and dense, measures in some places five centimetres (two inches) and is exceedingly fine.
[7] When bred with another member of the same colour morph, silver foxes will produce silver-coated offspring, with little variation in this trend after the third generation.
[8] Red foxes, including the silvery form, are one of the most widely distributed carnivorous species in the world, ranging over much of the northern hemisphere and Australia.
In the 19th century, silver foxes were sometimes collected from Labrador, the Magdalen Islands, and they were rarely taken from the mountainous regions of Pennsylvania and the wilder portions of New York.
[9] In the former Soviet Union, silver foxes inhabit mostly the forest zones and forest–tundra belts, particularly the central and eastern parts of Siberia and the Caucasus mountains.
[7] In the richness and beauty of its splendid fur the silver-grey Fox surpasses the beaver or sea otter, and the skins are indeed so highly esteemed that the finest command extraordinary prices, and are always in demand.For the pelt to be considered of suitable quality, certain criteria must be met: There must be a section of glossy black fur on the neck with a bluish cast.
Fur farmers on Prince Edward Island gained success by breeding and caring for their foxes in captivity.
[14] The farmers recognized the foxes' monogamous habits and permitted their studs to mate for life with a single female, contributing to their success.
These silver foxes were bred strictly with members of their own colour morph, and by the third generation, all residual traces of red or cross ancestry disappeared.
[15] A well-known silver fox ranch of North America was that of Fred Colpitts from Salisbury, New Brunswick.
The Fromm brothers funded the development of the distemper vaccine and vitamin D tablets to prevent the foxes from getting rickets.
[18] Silver foxes exist in seasonally monogamous pairs for the breeding months of December to April, and most matings occur in January and February.
[18] Scientists have observed an increase in reproductive success with age in silver fox morphs, which may be attributable to yearlings breeding an average of nine days after adults.
[19] Success in larger litters depends highly on the availability of extra-parental care via the assistance of unmated females.
The findings have led to the use of competition capacity as a more encompassing measure of reproductive fitness for the silver fox, and the revelation that some vixens engage in infanticide.
[20] While silver foxes are opportunistic feeders and will consume any food presented to them, they prefer a more carnivorous diet when meat is available.
When hunting smaller mammals, the foxes adopt a "mousing position" from which they can locate prey based on sound.
Many of the descendant foxes became both tamer and more dog-like in morphology, including displaying mottled or spotted coloured fur.
The Achomawi people of Northern California tell a myth about two creators: the wise silver fox stemming from fog and the amoral trickster coyote from the clouds.
The story tells a moral lesson, portraying the silver fox as a wise being and creator of sorts while suggesting the coyote as a lazy, greedy and impulsive animal.
The Fromm brothers started their fur trading company in Central Wisconsin in the 1930s, which led to the development of the distemper vaccine.
[28] The term silver fox is used to describe an attractive older man, specifically one who has (or is beginning to show) grey hair.
