Foxes are well known for their bushy tails and sly nature, but have you ever wondered about the color of a fox’s eyes? Their eyes can come in a range of shades from yellow to amber to brown. If you want a comprehensive answer to the question ‘What color are foxes’ eyes?
‘, you’ve come to the right place.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Foxes typically have amber colored eyes that range from light yellow to reddish brown. The specific eye color depends on the species of fox.
In this detailed guide, we’ll cover everything you want to know about fox eye color. We’ll look at the different fox species and the eye colors you’re most likely to see. We’ll also explain why their eyes can appear different shades and look at some of the key facts around their vision.
Typical Fox Eye Colors
Red Foxes
Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are well known for their striking rusty red fur and bushy tails. As one might expect, red foxes also often have brilliant amber or yellow eyes. Their eyes can range from a dark copper to a light golden yellow.
This eye coloration helps camouflage red foxes in their preferred grassland habitats.
Arctic Foxes
The arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) lives in the icy northern reaches of North America, Europe, and Asia. These hardy foxes have thick white fur to blend into the snowy tundra landscape. Arctic foxes also commonly have dark brown or black eyes.
This provides good eye protection from snow blindness while hunting rodents across the frozen tundra.
Gray Foxes
The aptly named gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) has gray, black, and white fur with rusty patches. They are found widely across most of the United States. Gray foxes typically have bright golden yellow eyes similar to red foxes. Their eye shine at night can appear greenish.
Fennec Foxes
The tiny fennec fox (Vulpes zerda) of North Africa has oversized ears to help dissipate heat in the blazing desert environment. Their soft fur is cream or sand colored to blend with the desert sand dunes. Fennec foxes have dark brown or black eyes framed by black “eye liner” markings.
This helps reduce sunlight glare while hunting insects and small rodents across the Sahara desert.
What Makes Their Eyes Appear Different Colors
Melanin Content
The main factor that determines fox eye color is the amount of melanin pigment present. Melanin is the pigment that gives color to skin, hair, and eyes. Just like humans, animals with more melanin in their irises tend to have darker brown or blackish eyes.
Those with less melanin have blue, green, yellow or amber eyes.
Foxes with a lot of melanin have dark brown or blackish eyes. Their eyes appear almost solid black in some lighting conditions. Fox species with less melanin like Arctic foxes tend to have lighter blue, green or amber eyes.
The melanin content can also vary between individual foxes of the same species, leading to variety in eye shades.
Lighting Conditions
The ambient lighting can also affect the way a fox’s eye color appears to our eyes. In bright sunlight, even brown eyes may appear to have some amber highlights. In low light conditions, such as at nighttime, all dark fox eyes tend to look black and it’s hard to discern their actual shade.
So a red fox may seem to have black eyes at night, but show more brown, amber or hazel flecks in their irises when observed during daytime. The angle of lighting is also important. Side lighting can create prominent highlights and reflections in a fox’s eyes that affect how we perceive the color.
Time of Year
Fox eye color can also change slightly with the seasons, especially in species that develop thick winter coats. For example, Arctic foxes have lighter blue/gray summer coats and darker coats in winter. Their eye color may also darken slightly in winter.
Red foxes also develop more red/brown fur in winter, so their eye color may appear a bit darker then as well.
Interesting Facts About Fox Eyes
Their Vision is Adapted for Low Light
Foxes have several special adaptations that allow them to see well in low light conditions. Their eyes have a tapetum lucidum – a reflective layer behind the retina that bounces light back through the retina, essentially giving light a second chance to stimulate visual receptors.
This allows foxes to make the most of low light.
Foxes also have a high density of rod cells – the photoreceptors responsible for low light vision. This further enhances their ability to see when light levels drop. The combination of the tapetum lucidum and additional rods allows foxes to see up to 3 times better than humans in dim light.
They Have Slit-Shaped Pupils
Foxes, like cats, have vertical slit pupils instead of the round pupils found in humans. These slit pupils can open and close to narrow slits or wide ovals depending on the light conditions. The slits allow precise control over how much light enters the eye.
Narrow slit pupils create sharp focus and depth perception, which is useful for hunting. Wider slit pupils maximize light intake in dark conditions. This flexibility supports foxes’ dual lifestyle as both daytime hunters and nighttime prowlers.
Some Species Have Dark Circles Around Their Eyes
Certain fox species like Red foxes and Arctic foxes have distinctive dark fur around their eyes that almost looks like dark circles. These dark “eyespots” may serve several purposes:
- They may help foxes camouflage and blend in with shadows and vegetation.
- They may minimize glare from sunlight, acting like natural sunglasses.
- They may help foxes communicate visually with mates and rivals.
The exact purpose is still debated, but the dark rims are a signature part of fox eye anatomy.
Why Do Foxes Have Light Colored Eyes?
Camouflage and Communication
Foxes tend to have light-colored eyes, such as yellow, orange or green, which serve important purposes for their survival. The light colors blend in with the fox’s typical habitat of open areas like fields or sparse forests with brush.
This camouflage makes it easier for foxes to hunt while avoiding detection by prey animals. Additionally, the light eye colors aid foxes in communicating with other foxes. Eye contact and facial expressions are a fox’s primary means of non-verbal communication.
Bright eyes allow them to subtly communicate their mood and intent from a distance.
Increased Light Sensitivity
In addition to camouflage, foxes’ light-colored eyes serve to optimize their vision. A 2018 study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology found that foxes have a high density of light-sensitive rods in their eyes. Rod cells allow mammals to see well in dim light.
Foxes have about 15-20 times more rods than humans.
This abundance of rods enables excellent night vision, but comes at a cost of lower visual acuity and color vision. Foxes sacrifice seeing fine details and a wide range of colors for their specialized ability to detect faint movement in dark conditions.
Therefore, foxes have a high proportion of rods to cones (color detecting cells) compared to humans who rely more on cones.
The light-colored irises of foxes allow more light to enter and stimulate these plentiful rod cells. This explains why foxes tend to have eyes in pale shades of yellow, orange or green rather than dark brown.
Even small differences in eye color can impact how much light reaches the retina and improves low light vision. So foxes benefit from lighter eye colors to complement their adaptations for superior night vision and activity in low light.
Conclusion
Foxes have a spectacular range of eye colors from yellow to brown to amber that help them thrive in the wild. Their light eye shades allow them to see well at night and camouflage into their environments. The specific color is influenced by melanin levels, lighting, and species.
Whatever shade their eyes take, the fox’s piercing gaze allows it to spot both predator and prey with ease. Hopefully this guide gave you a comprehensive overview of the range of fox eye colors and why they have evolved this way.
