Shocked by their discovery, scientists warn all walks in British forests that they may encounter a completely new species of animals. A hybrid of a fox and a dog.
An amateur photographer captured a large black fox in Cambridgeshire last month. The news alarmed all Britons. Firstly, black foxes here in our century are as incredibly rare as foxes, for example, green. Secondly, the black fox has long been considered in Great Britain a symbol of misfortune for those who meet it.
However, the fear of the British was short-lived. Soon, the fox was found on the side of the road, apparently hit by a car. And then the fun began. Genetic analysis in the laboratory, where the body of the male fox was taken, showed that it is an approximately 18-month-old hybrid of a silver-black fox and a raccoon dog!
According to scientists, the creature had two gene mutations that they had never seen before.
44-year-old biologist Helen MacRobie believes that the killed animal was not wild, but escaped from some kind of farm or research center or from a family where exotic animals were kept. Her assumptions were based on the condition of the animal's fur and its behavior, as described by the photographer. The fox was not at all afraid of people.
“The fact that he had the genes of a raccoon dog is very intriguing. Now we continue to work on decoding, but perhaps the fox was not alone (and perhaps the male could have produced cubs while he was running?) And we warn everyone in case they see foxes with dark fur or dark spots.
If anything, the last fur farms in the UK, where foxes were kept, closed back in 1992 at the request of animal activists.
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