Red Fox or not?

This query came in this morning:

Art - various friends love to watch and help the fox in our area.

We seem to have 2 fox this year- both are red fox BUT with black socks - can't tell one from the other. Don't know if one is a female or male - no idea. I've Googled this - to no avail - or lack of patience on my end.

What do you know about this kind of fox? Is it a cross breed with an Artic fox? OR Canadian fox? Any info will be of help. Nancy-Linn

Again - I Love Quoddy Wild - and all the photos put up every day - its a fantastic website - will keep you busy in your very soon retirement.

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These two photos from Wikipedia.com show the two common colour phases; the normal "red" fox and the "black" or "silver" phase. We have a pair at the Ganong Nature Park near St. Stephen ... one red and one black. The kits should be interesting! The black socks are normal.

Here's what Wikipedia says:

The Red Fox is most commonly a rusty red, with white underbelly, black ear tips and legs, and a bushy tail usually with a distinctive white tip. The "red" tone can vary from dark chestnut to golden, and in fact can be "agouti", with bands of red, brown, black and white on each individual hair. In North America, the Red Fox's pelt has long, soft hair, whereas the fur of European Red Foxes is flatter and less silky.

In the wild, two other colour phases are also seen. The first is silver or black, comprising 10% of the wild population. Approximately 30% of wild individuals have additional dark patterning, which usually manifests as bold markings on the face, with a stripe across the shoulders and down the centre of the back. The stripes form a "cross" over the shoulders, and these foxes are therefore often called cross foxes. Farmed stock are mostly silver, but may be almost any colour including spotted or blotched with white.