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http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article.jhtml?articleID=505851
This article claims that these black foxes are "a mixture of the wild red fox and tame foxes." But surely any tame foxes that exist in Norway are red foxes anyway? I am not aware of any species of fox that has been domesticated or selectively bred in captivity, or that is routinely kept as a pet (unless there is a Norwegian Fox Fancy that non-Norwegians wouldnt have heard of).
The only other fox I can think of that might exist in Norway is the Arctic or Iceland fox, which is white and smaller than a red fox. And IIRC fox/dog hybrids, although they have often been claimed to exist, should not be genetically possible.
Red foxes do come in a number of colour phases, and I have seen ones with black markings on them, so an all-black "red" fox (like black Scottish Wildcats, or black leopards) isn't outside the realms of possibility. But a whole population of black foxes, which also differ from red foxes in size and behaviour, sounds like it must be a different species.
An introduced and escaped species, maybe? Do Norwegians keep "exotic" foxes as pets (the North American grey fox, maybe)?
This reminds me somewhat of the large, black Kellas or "rabbit-headed" cats in Scotland, which are thought to be a larger and more aggressive hybrid between Scottish wildcats and "Oriental" breeds of domestic cat.
This article claims that these black foxes are "a mixture of the wild red fox and tame foxes." But surely any tame foxes that exist in Norway are red foxes anyway? I am not aware of any species of fox that has been domesticated or selectively bred in captivity, or that is routinely kept as a pet (unless there is a Norwegian Fox Fancy that non-Norwegians wouldnt have heard of).
The only other fox I can think of that might exist in Norway is the Arctic or Iceland fox, which is white and smaller than a red fox. And IIRC fox/dog hybrids, although they have often been claimed to exist, should not be genetically possible.
Red foxes do come in a number of colour phases, and I have seen ones with black markings on them, so an all-black "red" fox (like black Scottish Wildcats, or black leopards) isn't outside the realms of possibility. But a whole population of black foxes, which also differ from red foxes in size and behaviour, sounds like it must be a different species.
An introduced and escaped species, maybe? Do Norwegians keep "exotic" foxes as pets (the North American grey fox, maybe)?
This reminds me somewhat of the large, black Kellas or "rabbit-headed" cats in Scotland, which are thought to be a larger and more aggressive hybrid between Scottish wildcats and "Oriental" breeds of domestic cat.