A variant of a red fox, the cross fox is melanistic in colour, I should say partially melanistic. Meaning it has black pigments in its skin and fur. When a red fox morph mates with a silver fox morph, a cross fox is created. The name cross is resulted from the fox having a dark stripe running its back and another stripe over the shoulders to form a cross. About 25 to 30 percent of Canada's red fox population is made up of cross fox, found mainly in northern areas of North America. They are identical to the red foxes in regards to their physical shape, but some studies indicate the cross foxes might be slightly larger and have a bushier tail. To my eyes when I came across this cross fox on a cold morning, her size indicated she might be a female. Other than that, it was hard to tell if it was bigger than the red foxes. They don’t take kindly to me pulling out my scale and measuring tape.
