Arctic

Arctic Fox
Scientific Name: Alopex lagopus

Description Habitat Food Predators Reproduction Facts

Description

The Arctic fox is a member of the dog family. When it is fully grown, it is about 2 to 3 feet long and has a bushy 12-inch tail, which it uses to keep its nose and feet warm when it curls up to go to sleep. Its thick fur is grayish-brown in summer to blend in with the rocky land of the tundra. The fur turns white and grows thicker in winter, camouflaging the animal very well against the snow, and keeping it very warm. There is one type of Arctic fox that stays a silver-blue color all year long.

The Arctic fox has slanted eyes that resemble a cat's eyes because of the oval pupils that open and close to the light. This helps the fox to see well in both the darkest night and the brightest daylight. It has a long and pointed snout. Its ears are triangular but rounded, and are very short. They are short so it will not lose so much body heat. The Arctic fox has very sharp claws and short legs. It has hair on the bottom of its feet to help it keep warm and move easier over the ice and snow.

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Habitat

The Arctic fox lives in the northernmost regions of the Arctic. It can be found in North America, Iceland, Greenland, Siberia and Scandinavia. It can live in temperatures as low as 58 degrees below zero.

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Food

Arctic foxes are meat-eating hunters. They prefer to hunt alone rather than in a pack. Sometimes they follow polar bears and eat what the bear has left behind after he has killed a seal or some other animal for his dinner. They also raid birds’ nests and eat the eggs. In the summer time, they often collect berries and other tidbits and hide them under rocks, saving them for winter when it is harder to find something to eat. Other favorite foods of the Arctic fox include lemmings and voles, birds, insects, squirrels, and fish. Lemmings are small animals that are about as big as guinea pigs.

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Predators

Arctic foxes are hunters and predators. They are very sly and have learned how to survive very well in their cold, cold homeland. They have to be careful around the polar bears they follow, however, so that they won’t become the bear’s next meal. Their white fur helps them blend in with the ice so they don’t get caught. Humans are predators of the Arctic fox. People have hunted them for their beautiful fur.

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Reproduction

Foxes mate in mid-winter. The babies are born in late May. There are usually five or six kits in a litter, but there can be as many as twelve. The kits are brown and are born with their eyes closed. Both parents take good care of them for the whole summer. The kits stay in the den for a few months while the parents go off to hunt for food for them. The male fox is both a hunter and a protector. He gathers food for the family and guards the den from enemies.

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Other interesting facts

A male fox is called a reynard.
A female fox is called a vixen.
Baby foxes are called kits.
A group of foxes is called a skulk.
The life span is about 12 years.

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