The most elite melanistic foxes in the wild are truly aristocrats.

Nature is usually the finest artist, and her ability to create such intricate color schemes never ceases to amaze.

These lovely foxes are thus yet another live example of nature. Their unique color is caused by a rare disease in which their typical blazing red coat alternates with black stripes to provide a captivating appearance.

They are called cross flies, and melanism is their special characteristic. The beautiful color of animals is a result of the release of melanin, which contains a black pigment.

Despite the fact that biologists think their population formerly reached in the millions on the North American continent, these foxes are currently very rare.

Sadly, at the turn of the century, there were many fewer of these adorable animals because of the demand for their pricey fur. The only differences between cross foxes and their red relatives are their color and a fluffier tail.

And more recently, as the expert says, Canadian photographer Samuel Saian was able to get rare pictures of these foxes, although accidentally. When their eyes met, the fox ran away, but they still managed to get some amazing pictures.

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