Black Or Brown/Chocolate??

Our newest addition, Orion, has me stumped. I can't seem to tell if he is a Black & White Bi-Color or a Brown/Chocolate & White Bi-Color. 

When I take his photo, he is very dark looking in the picture but in person only his ears are truly that dark and his other patches all have this brownish/hazy kind of look to them. My family and I have been going back and forth on what his true coloring might be. My main question, can black fur on kittens appear to be brown/chocolate before they are grown? My first Black & White Bi-Color was definitely a black and white as a kitten, not this brownish/hazy look that Orion has and my solid black kitten, Galaxy was also definitely a true black, even as a newborn.

Again, the pictures make him appear darker than he really is in person, but what do you think? Can black appear as brown/chocolate at an early age?

Somebody else asked something like this recently and one of our genetic experts answered basically YES, black can have many expressions genetically and can show up as brown/chocolate.  Perhaps if you search "black" and "brown" together you might find the thread.

That is the cutest little guy!  Well, both of them.  

Red Top Rescue said:

 
Somebody else asked something like this recently and one of our genetic experts answered basically YES, black can have many expressions genetically and can show up as brown/chocolate.  Perhaps if you search "black" and "brown" together you might find the thread.

Click to expand...

 Ah, ok, thank you so much!

Here's the link to the thread about brown coat colours

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/273433/what's-the-story-behind-a-solid-brown-kitten

While playing some more today I noticed his tail seems to be Tabby, displaying the telltale stripes in the fur, but I know that his patches do not have this pattern. Is this even possible? To be a Chocolate & White Bi-Color with a Tabby Tail?!

Some of my back and white cats have tabby patterns in their black patches that are only visible in bright sunlight. He must have a tabby ancestor somewhere along the line.