San Juan Island, Washington, United States

While noticeably different in appearance from the red fox, these black foxes are actually the same species as Vulpes vulpes through a condition known as melanism that turns the color of a fox’s fur black. Sometimes referred to as a ‘cross fox’, animals with this condition are indeed an anomaly. 

This image was taken in a field where each fox claims its own territory, mainly to hunt. In the early morning, I spotted these two feasting on insects and birds. The fox on the left encroached onto the territory of the fox on the right, and a fight ensued, with the territory holder fending off the invader.