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54-515: Black Fox may refer to: Animals [ edit ] Black fox, an alternative name for Silver fox (animal) , a melanistic form of the red fox People [ edit ] Black Fox (Cherokee chief) , a chief of the Cherokee from 1801 to 1811 Film and television [ edit ] Black Fox (miniseries) , a 1995 miniseries, with Tony Todd and Christopher Reeve Blackfox (2019 film) ,

108-682: A 1995-2014 duology of novels by Dennis L. McKiernan Black Foxes , a 1996 novel by Sonya Hartnett Comics [ edit ] Black Fox (Raul Chalmers) , a supervillain character in Marvel Comics Black Fox (Robert Paine) , a superhero character in Marvel Comics Locations [ edit ] Black Fox Nuclear Power Plant , a nuclear power plant proposed by the Public Service Company of Oklahoma in 1973 Topics referred to by

162-522: A European pine marten in Grizedale Forest . In July 2015, the first confirmed sighting of a European pine marten in England for over a century was recorded by an amateur photographer in the woodlands of Shropshire . Sightings have continued in the area and juveniles were recorded in 2019, indicating a breeding population. In July 2017, footage of a live European pine marten was captured by

216-471: A Japanese anime film Black Fox: The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler , a 1962 documentary film The Black Fox, a character in The Court Jester , played by Edward Ashley Books [ edit ] The Black Fox , a 1950 novel by H. F. Heard Black Fox of Lorne , a 1956 children's historical novel by Marguerite de Angeli Black Fox , a 1973 novel by Matt Braun Black Foxes ,

270-458: A Mendelian incomplete dominant trait. Fiery red parents may occasionally produce a silver cub, the usual proportion being one in four. Occasionally, the colours of mixed foxes blend rather than segregate. The blended offspring of a silver and red fox is known as a cross fox . Dark colour in the Alaskan silver fox is caused by a mutation to MC1R , while in the standard silver fox the dark colour

324-992: A camera trap in the North York Moors in Yorkshire ; in March 2018, the first ever footage of a European pine marten in Northumberland was captured by the Back from the Brink pine marten project. The European pine marten's presence in Southern England's New Forest was confirmed in 2021. In September 2022, the first European pine marten to be seen in London in a century was spotted by the Zoological Society of London 's wildlife cameras as part of

378-714: A hedgehog monitoring program. The Kent Wildlife Trust in collaboration with the Sussex Wildlife Trust announced a project in February 2024 to assess the feasibility of reintroducing European pine martens to South East England . There is a small population of the European pine marten in Wales . Scat found in Cwm Rheidol forest in 2007 was confirmed by DNA testing to be from a European pine marten. A male

432-476: 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. Similarly, the silver fox has often been represented on totem poles. The silver fox also appears as a symbol on the Prince Edward Island coat of arms. In the late 1800s, the rare silver fox was native to the region, and its pelt was highly valued around

486-604: A more carnivorous diet when meat is available. When meat is scarce, they rely more heavily on plant material. Like the red morph, the silver fox adapts different strategies when hunting different prey. When hunting smaller mammals, the foxes adopt a "mousing position" from which they can locate prey based on sound. They launch themselves, pin prey to the ground using their forepaws, and kill it by biting. Quicker terrestrial prey requires more practiced behaviour, often involving stalking and rapid pursuit. When prey escapes to hidden caches or burrows, foxes are known to occasionally nap beside

540-416: A myth about two creators: the wise silver fox stemming from fog and the amoral trickster coyote from the clouds. The myth reveals that while the coyote slept, the silver fox used its hair combings to create landmasses. It then thought of trees, rocks, fruits, and other resources, and created those too. However, the coyote could not employ self-control and ate everything up at will after it awoke. The story tells

594-628: A number of factors contribute to their breeding success. These include age, food, population density, and the mating system ( polygyny or monogamy ). Higher population density leads to a higher incidence of failure in producing pups. Silver foxes have litters that typically range from 1 to 14 pups, with the average being 3 to 6 pups. Litter size generally increases with age and abundance of food. 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. Success in larger litters depends highly on

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648-535: A single female, contributing to their success. The fur of captive-bred foxes was of better quality than that of free-ranging ones (worth $ 500–1,000 rather than $ 20–30) because of improved care and diet. 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. The silver fox price boom in North America ended in 1914, but by 1921, there were 300 farms throughout

702-456: A symbol for the ingenuity and perseverance involved in the industry. The silver fox has also been represented in different forms of media. On television, in films, and in comic books, Silver Fox is a character in the Wolverine superhero series. In cartoon, the characters Scarface and Lady Blue from TV animated series The Animals of Farthing Wood are silver foxes. The term silver fox

756-489: Is territorial and marks its home range by depositing feces . Its scat is black and twisted. The recovery of the European pine marten in Ireland has been credited with reducing the population of invasive grey squirrels . Where the range of the expanding European pine marten population meets that of the grey squirrel, the population of the grey squirrels quickly retreats and the red squirrel population recovers. Because

810-476: Is a little coarser and woollier. The fur is shortest on the forehead and limbs, and is finer on the fox's underbelly. When viewed individually, the hairs composing the belly fur exhibit a wavy appearance. There are scarcely any long hairs on the ears, which are thickly clothed with fur. The soles of the feet are so thickly covered with woolly hair that no callous spots are visible. Silver foxes tend to be more cautious than red foxes. When bred with another member of

864-399: Is caused by a recessive mutation to agouti . 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 . Their abundance in a wide variety of habitats can be attributed to introduction by humans into new habitats for fox-hunting. In North America , silver foxes occur mostly in

918-627: Is considered to be more durable and handsome. The fur of a silver fox was once considered by the natives of New England to be worth more than 40 American beaver skins. A chieftain accepting a gift of silver fox furs was seen as an act of reconciliation. The records of the Hudson's Bay Company indicate that 19–25% of fox skins traded in British Columbia in the years 1825–1850 were silver, as were 16% of those traded in Labrador. The fur

972-457: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages 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. Wild silver foxes do not naturally reproduce exclusively with members of the same coat morph and can be littermates with

1026-528: Is up to 53 cm (21 in) long, with a bushy tail of about 25 cm (9.8 in). It weighs around 1.5–1.7 kg (3.3–3.7 lb); males are slightly larger than females. It has excellent senses of sight, smell, and hearing. The European pine marten was for many years common only in northwestern Scotland . A study in 2012 found that it has spread from the Scottish Highlands north into Sutherland and Caithness and southeastwards from

1080-457: Is used to describe an attractive older man, specifically one who has (or is beginning to show) grey hair. The name "Silver Fox" was used on LNER A4 steam locomotive no 2512 (later BR no 60017), designed by Sir Nigel Gresley . Pine marten Mustela martes Linnaeus, 1758 The European pine marten ( Martes martes ), also known as the pine marten , is a mustelid native to and widespread in most of Europe , Asia Minor ,

1134-518: The Caucasus , and parts of Iran , Iraq and Syria . It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List . It is less commonly also known as baum marten or sweet marten. The European pine marten's fur is usually light to dark brown. It is short and coarse in the summer, growing longer and silkier during the winter. It has a cream- to yellow-coloured "bib" marking on its throat. Its body

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1188-661: The Forest of Dean in South West England where they were last seen in 1860, with the hope that in time they will merge with the growing population in Wales to form a contiguous presence. After successful breeding every year, by 2023 their numbers were estimated to be approaching 60. The European pine marten is still quite rare in Ireland , but the population is recovering and spreading; its traditional strongholds are in

1242-738: The Great Glen into Moray , Aberdeenshire , Perthshire , Tayside , and Stirlingshire , with some in the Central Belt , on the Kintyre and Cowal peninsulas, and on Skye and Mull . The expansion in the Galloway Forest has been limited compared with that in the core marten range. Martens were reintroduced to the Glen Trool Forest in the early 1980s and only restricted spread has occurred from there. In England ,

1296-648: The European pine marten was considered to be extinct. Analysis of a scat found at Kidland Forest in Northumberland in June 2010 may represent either a recolonisation from Scotland, or a relict population that has escaped notice previously. There have been numerous reported sightings of European pine martens in Cumbria ; however, only in 2011, scat was found and DNA-tested, followed in October 2022 by images of

1350-546: The Fromms' had was over 20 pounds (9.1 kg). Silver foxes in Russian fur farms are of North American stock, and are selectively bred in order to remove as much brown from the fur as possible, as the presence of brown fur lowers the pelt's value. Estonia began farming silver foxes in 1924, after receiving 2,500 foundation specimens from Norway to Mustajõe farm. The numbers of Estonian silver fox farms steadily increased in

1404-740: The USA. A well-known silver fox ranch of North America was that of Fred Colpitts from Salisbury, New Brunswick . Known as the "Colpitts Brothers", Fred and James raised silver foxes in the early 1920s and used selective breeding to refine the fox colour. Fred developed the Platinum fox (a colour variation of the silver fox) that was recognized for its unique colour and markings worldwide. These Platinum foxes brought top dollar from sales in Montreal , New York and London, with one pair of foxes selling for $ 5000, and winning major awards at shows across Canada ,

1458-404: The availability of extra-parental care via the assistance of unmated females. This is especially the case in higher density populations, where some females fail to produce pups. Silver foxes engage in a system of bi-parental care, which is associated with their seasonal monogamous mating scheme. For a given litter, males contribute a large investment in the offspring by both feeding and protecting

1512-529: The breeding months of December to April, and most matings occur in January and February. Female silver foxes are monestrous (having one estrus cycle per year) with estrus lasting 1–6 days and parturition occurring after about 52 days of gestation . During or approaching estrus, the vulva of silver foxes increases in size and tumescence , indicating the sexual readiness or condition of the fox. Female silver foxes generally breed during their first autumn, but

1566-419: The coat a flaky appearance, which was considered undesirable. The fur must have "silkiness", which refers to the softness of the fur, and was judged by a client running his hand over the pelt. The coat must have a sheen, which reflects the health of the coat and the animal from which it came, as well as the finesse of the hairs. The fur must weigh at least one pound, with value increasing along with size. Heavy fur

1620-403: The common red variety, although captive populations bred for the blue fox fur and as pets are almost exclusively mated with members of the same colour. The silver fox's long outer hair can extend as much as five centimetres (two inches) beyond the shorter underfur on different parts of the fox's body, particularly under the throat, behind the shoulders, on the sides and the tail. The hair of

1674-483: The den around 12–16 weeks after their birth. Larger mammalian predators and birds of prey such as Eurasian lynx , wolverine , red fox , golden eagle , white-tailed eagle , northern goshawk , and Eurasian eagle owl prey on European pine martens, especially young individuals. Humans are the greatest threat to the European pine marten. They are vulnerable to conflict with humans, arising from predator control for other species, or following predation of livestock and

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1728-477: The den. While the pups are early in development, the male secures food for the nursing vixen. Whereas males are more vigilant in defending the den, females also defend their offspring aggressively. In captivity, differential reproductive success can be attributed to variation in the competition capacity among individual females. Competition capacity is defined as the ability of individuals to dominate resources such as food or nesting sites. The competition capacity of

1782-595: The entrances and lie in wait for prey to reemerge. The domesticated silver fox is a form of the silver fox which has been domesticated —to some extent—under laboratory conditions. Domesticated silver foxes are the result of an experiment which was designed to demonstrate the power of selective breeding to transform species, as described by Charles Darwin in On the Origin of Species . The experiment explored whether selection for behaviour rather than morphology may have been

1836-565: The following decades. During the Soviet period, the silver fox industry boomed due to government subsidies and a focus on selectively breeding foxes for greater fertility than fur quality. The silver fox morph is behaviourally similar to the red morph. One common behaviour is scent marking . This behaviour is used as a display of dominance , but may also be used to communicate the absence of food from foraging areas as well as social records. Silver foxes exist in seasonally monogamous pairs for

1890-427: The grey squirrel spends more time on the ground than the red squirrel, which co-evolved with the pine marten, they are thought to be far more likely to come in contact with this predator. The European pine marten has lived to 18 years in captivity, but the maximum age recorded in the wild is only 11 years, with 3–4 years being more typical. They reach sexual maturity at 2–3 years of age. Copulation usually occurs on

1944-552: The ground and can last more than 1 hour. Mating occurs in July and August but the fertilized egg does not enter the uterus for about 7 months. The young are usually born in late March or early April after a month-long gestation period that happens after the implantation of the fertilized egg, in litters of one to five. Young European pine martens weigh around 30 g (1.1 oz) at birth. The young begin to emerge from their dens around 7–8 weeks after birth and are able to disperse from

1998-461: The martens were fitted with radio collars and are being tracked daily to monitor their movements as well as to find out where they have set up territories. During autumn 2016, the VWT planned to capture and release another 20 European pine martens in the hope of creating a self-sustaining population. Following the success of these projects, 35 European pine martens were reintroduced between 2019 and 2021 to

2052-427: The mother directly influences the fitness of her offspring. In one experiment where vixens (whose competition capacities were categorized as high, medium, or low) were bred under standard farming conditions, competition capacity was positively associated with the number of healthy offspring raised to weaning. The findings have led to the use of competition capacity as a more encompassing measure of reproductive fitness for

2106-613: The northeastern part of the continent. 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 . They were occasionally found in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. According to Sir John Richardson , it was uncommon for trappers to collect more than 4–5 silver foxes in any one season, in areas where silver foxes were present, despite

2160-495: The only mustelid with semiretractable claws. This enables them to lead more arboreal lifestyles, such as climbing or running on tree branches, although they are also relatively quick runners on the ground. They are mainly active at night and dusk. They have small, rounded, highly sensitive ears and sharp teeth adapted for eating small mammals, birds, insects, frogs, and carrion . They have also been known to eat berries , fruits, birds' eggs, nuts, and honey. The European pine marten

2214-403: The process that had produced dogs from wolves , by recording the changes in foxes when in each generation only the most tame foxes were allowed to breed. Many of the descendant foxes became both tamer and more dog-like in morphology, including displaying mottled or spotted coloured fur. The silver fox appears in the stories of many cultures. The Achomawi people of Northern California tell

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2268-450: The same colour morph, silver foxes will produce silver-coated offspring, with little variation in this trend after the third generation. When mated to pure red foxes, the resulting cubs will be fiery red in overall coat colour, and will have blacker markings on the belly, neck and points than average red foxes. When one fiery red fox of such a pedigree is mated with a silver one, the litter is almost always 50% silver and 50% red, manifesting as

2322-415: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Black Fox . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black_Fox&oldid=1223313220 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

2376-515: The silver fox, and the revelation that some vixens engage in infanticide . The vixens generated more weaned cubs during their next reproductive cycle than those who did not engage in infanticide. This may suggest the conservation of efforts or investment to increase future reproductive success. Infanticidal vixens infrequently adopt and help to raise the young of neighboring vixens after eating their own. While silver foxes are opportunistic feeders and will consume any food presented to them, they prefer

2430-503: 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. The silvery hairs must contain pure bands that are neither white nor prominent. The most valued furs had an even distribution of silvery hair, as patches of silvery hair gave

2484-430: The trappers' tendency to prioritize them above all other fur-bearers once they were discovered. Silver foxes comprise up to 8% of Canada 's red fox population. In the former Soviet Union , silver foxes occur mostly in forest zones and forest–tundra belts, particularly in middle and eastern Siberia and the Caucasus mountains. They are very rare in steppes and deserts. In the richness and beauty of its splendid fur

2538-418: The two brothers sold foxes for breeding stock throughout North America . In the 1930s, scientific advances led to increases in fox health. The Fromm brothers funded the development of the distemper vaccine and vitamin D tablets to prevent the foxes from getting rickets. They also allowed the foxes to roam relatively free as they would otherwise damage their pelts and they were fed daily. The largest silver fox

2592-416: The underfur is brown at the base, and silver-grey tipped with black further along the follicle. The hair is soft, glossy and was once reputed to be finer than that of the pine marten . 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. It surrounds the whole body even to the tail, where it

2646-520: The use of inhabited buildings for denning. Martens may also be affected by woodland loss, which results in habitat loss for the animal. Persecution (illegal poisoning and shooting), loss of habitat leading to fragmentation, and other human disturbances have caused a considerable decline in the European pine marten population. In some areas, they are also prized for their very fine fur. In the UK, European pine martens and their dens are offered full protection under

2700-508: The west and south, especially the Burren and Killarney National Park , but the population in the Midlands has significantly increased in recent years. A study managed by academics at Queen's University Belfast , using cameras and citizen scientists, published in 2015, showed that European pine martens were distributed across all counties of Northern Ireland . The European pine marten is

2754-525: The world. Scientific developments for breeding fur-bearing animals took place on the island. Fur farming became an important part of the 20th century economy of the province and Wisconsin. The Fromm brothers started their fur trading company in Central Wisconsin in the 1930s, which led to the development of the distemper vaccine. The silver fox has come to symbolize the wit and wisdom of the islanders. Its fur-breeding history resulted in its status as

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2808-410: Was almost always sold to Russian and Chinese traders. The silver fur of this fox was the most sought-after pelt due to its colour and style. In 1830, the allele frequency for a silver pelt was at 15% but due to overhunting, this number had fallen to 5% in 1930. The silver pelt is still hunted for and the population of foxes with this silver pelt continues to fall. Before the practice of fur farming

2862-449: Was eventually refined on Prince Edward Island , it was standard practice to release free-ranging silver foxes into small islands, where they quickly starved to death. Fur farmers on Prince Edward Island gained success by breeding and caring for their foxes in captivity. Charles Dalton and Robert Oulton began crossbreeding experiments in 1894. The farmers recognized the foxes' monogamous habits and permitted their studs to mate for life with

2916-564: Was found in 2012 as road kill near Newtown, Powys . This was the first confirmation in Wales of the species, living or dead, since 1971. The Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT) has begun a reinforcement of these mammals in the mid-Wales area. During autumn 2015, 20 European pine martens were captured in Scotland, in areas where a healthy European pine marten population occurs, under licence from Scottish Natural Heritage . These individuals were translocated and released in an area of mid-Wales. All of

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