Their opportunistic nature means they are also known to follow polar bears and wolves around, scavenging their leftovers. What do Arctic foxes eat?Īrctic foxes are omnivores, although the majority of their diet is made up of small mammals including lemmings, voles and hares lemmings are their favourite, to the extent that Arctic fox populations can fluctuate depending on lemming numbers. They live in burrows which can be hundreds of years old and passed down through generations of foxes. It inhabits some of the harshest conditions on earth, where temperatures can fall as low as -58˚F (-14˚C).Īrctic foxes are very mobile, and will travel large distances across land and sea ice in search of food. The Arctic fox inhabits the Arctic Tundra including Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Russia, Norway, Scandinavia and Iceland In Iceland, the Arctic fox is the only native land mammal. How long is an Arctic foxes tail?Īrctic fox tails are around 13 in long and are used to mostly to aid balance, but they also act as a blanket, as the can be curled around the face to protect their nose from the cold. Fur is shed in spring to reveal grey fur underneath. In summer, individuals that inhabit snow covered areas are white, whilst those that live on rocky shores are brown. Camouflage is important, so fur varies in colour depending on environment and time of year. The deep, thick fur is the warmest of all animals and helps to maintain a consistent body temperature. What do Arctic foxes look like?Īdapted to survive in harsh conditions, Arctic foxes have round compact bodies, short legs, short ears and small muzzles, all of which help to reduce the surface area exposed to cold air. This is due to the presence of fur on the paws, which reduces heat-loss and enables them to walk better on ice. Vulpes lagopus, which is the Latin name for Arctic fox, means ‘hare-footed fox’. What does the scientific name Vulpes lagopus mean? Once killed for their fur, a hunting ban means that their populations are recovering, but climate change threatens now to fundamentally alter their environment and is forcing them to compete with red foxes. Their pure white coats camouflage them as they travel vast distances across this hostile environment in search of prey. It does not store any personal data.Arctic foxes are one of the iconic animals of the Arctic tundra. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly.
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