Base Coats:
Hover Foxes can have one of three base coats. Which they have depends on their genome.
Red (AA/BB) - When in homozygous dominant condition, red should always be expressed unless combined with homozygous recessive silver. When in homozygous recessive condition, no red should be expressed. Reds in this range are generally orange-reds and can be quite bright.
Silver (AA/bb, Aa/bb, aa/bb, aa/BB, aa/Bb) - When in homozygous dominant condition, no silver should be expressed unless combined with homozygous recessive red. When in homozygous recessive condition, silver is always expressed. Silver foxes often have silver tips on their fur(similar in range to sable) but may also appear brownish-tinted black or simply black with no silvering present. The amount of silvering often depends on the parents.
Standard Cross (AA/Bb, Aa/Bb, Aa/BB) - Heterozygous silver can be partially expressed alongside homozygous red, resulting in Cross. When both Silver and Red alleles are heterozygous, they combine to create Cross. The reds expressed in cross foxes tend to be somewhat deeper in color than the more orange-reds of the red base. The amount of red or silver expressed on the coat is dependent upon the parents and alleles involved(eg. AA/Bb would contain more silver, Aa/Bb would contain equal amounts of red and silver, Aa/BB would contain more red)
Dilution Genes:
These genes dilute the base coat and markings depending on the genes expressed(subject to additional ranges in the future)
Pearl (pp) - Causes black fur to turn grey
Burgundy (gg) - Causes black fur to turn reddish
Amber (gg/pp) - Causes black fur to turn reddish grey, combination of pearl and burgundy. Lightly dilutes the red in cross foxes and most reds will fall on the lighter end of the red spectrum
Fire Factor (ff)- Causes red fur to turn pale orange or shades of yellow, only visible in red or cross based foxes. -UNCOMMON
Platinum (Pwpw, PwPw) - Adds white and dilutes/lightens the entire coat. Homozygous dominant genes can result in blindness and infertility - UNCOMMON
Browning (Brbr, BrBr) - Causes black fur to turn brown. Brbr presents as more yellow shades of brown, BrBr results in fur ranging from pale brown to dark chocolate, can result in blue-ish tinted foxes when combined with pearl.
Colicott (gFgF) - Causes black fur to turn reddish brown
Radium(Special) (rr) - Lightens the silver base and adds white guard hairs evenly distributed over the body - VERY RARE
Markings:
Hover Foxes can have a wide range of markings associated with their genome. These are described below alongside their symbol and rarity, click on their name to see a visual of each marking's range! Remember that these images are just the range in which the markings can be found, not necessarily the appearance of the markings themselves! When markings are said to be "dark, or darker" they should be a darker shade of the base coat and may fall outside of the given ranges as long as they are not oversaturated or unnatural-looking.
Required Markings:
Minimum White - Not associated with a specific allele, all foxes have a white or cream tip on their tail. This may be covered up in melanistic foxes, but should be visible on all others.
Extremely Common Markings:
Mask (MM, Mm) - Presents as black markings on the muzzle, eyes, face, wings, and legs
[url=link]Points (PoPo,Popo)[/url] - Presents as dark markings on the face, wing tips, and legs
Unders (UU, Uu) - Presents as white/cream markings on muzzle, neck, and belly, as well as the primary feathers on the wings and tail at maximum
Smokey Unders (SuSu, Susu) - Presents as black markings on the muzzle, neck, and belly, as well as the primary feathers on the wings and tail at maximum. Can present at the same time as unders, in which case both must be visible.
[url=link]Toning (CC, Cc)[/url] - These are lighter, hard-edged markings that run along the bottom half of your fox. They are most often a lighter shade of the base coat and natural looking in appearance. They must show more than unders when both are present.
Common Markings:
Collared (CoCo, Coco) - Presents as white/cream covering 50-100% of the neck
Dorsal (DsDs, Dsds) - Presents as a line of darker fur that extends down the back and along the tail, following the dorsal line. Always shows above other back markings and should be darker than saddle or blanket.
Sable (SaSa, Sasa) - Presents as dark tipped fur most often extending from the spine and down the sides. Always has blurred edges
Saddle (SS, Ss) - Presents as a dark colored patch that extends from the shoulders to the hips. May be solid or broken. Edges should not be blurred in appearance
Blanket (BlBl, Blbl) - Presents as a dark colored marking that extends across the back from the nose to the tail. Must be lighter than saddle if both are present. Edges should not be blurred in appearance
Barred (BaBa, Baba) - Dark colored bars on the wings, visible on the lateral side of the wing and on the primaries and secondaries of the dorsal side of the wings.
Tipped (TpTp, Tptp) - White tips on all feathers
Uncommon Markings:
Dipped (TT, Tt - Presents as an extended white/cream tip on the tail
Brows (BsBs, Bsbs) - Presents as patches of color or white above the eyes, much like a husky
Ticking (TiTi, Titi) - Presents as very small, dark speckles of one color mixed in with the coat color. Not to be confused with Dalmatian which falls in the same range but contains larger spots.
Tuxedo (TuTu, Tutu) - White marking on the chin, front paws, and in a patch on the chest
Rare Markings:
Whitemark (Ww, WW) - White markings appear on muzzle and paws, heterochromia can occur with this marking. Homozygous dominant genes can result in blindness and infertility
Dalmatian (DD, Dd) - Presents as dark spots extending from head to tail. Not to be confused with ticking which consists of tiny speckles rather than spots. Falls in the same range as ticking.
Brindling (DnDn, Dndn) - Presents as striping black markings mixed in with the base coat color
Very Rare Markings:
Vitiligo (VV, Vv) - Produces a white, spotted effect within the normal coat
Georgian (NN, Nn) - Most of the body is white with patches of base coat color along the back, on muzzle, face, wings, and legs
Marbling (Mwmw, MwMw) - Mostly white body with color being restricted to the wings, head, and sometimes sorsal stripe or saddle, as well as markings on the tail and spots on the legs at maximum. Homozygous dominant genes can result in blindness and infertility
Special Markings:
Opal (oo) - White brindling in addition to large white markings on the body.
Mutations:
Achromia/Albinism - Can occur rarely in any breeding and results in complete loss of melanin, gives the affected fox pale skin and pink or pale blue eyes
Melanism - Hyperpigmentation results in fully black foxes, some markings may appear as "shadows" on the fur
Leucism - Can occur rarely in any breeding and results in partial or total loss of multiple pigments. Generally do not have blue or pink eyes
Snow Nose - A rare genetic mutation associated with recessive red genes that result in pale skin on the nose
Piebaldism - Can occur in any breeding, results in white spots or irregular white patterns on their fur which can be limited to just the feet or can extend and cover up to 50% of the fox's body
Eye Colors:
Eyes may be any natural color found in red foxes. Shades of red/pink are reserved for achromatic foxes.
