One of the most recognizable animals that populate the frozen north, the arctic fox's distinctive white coat has long made it a popular sight for both nature-lovers and trappers.
Description of the Arctic Fox
The arctic fox (Alopex Lagopus) is a small member of the canid family. Related to other foxes, wolves and dogs it measures between 30 and 45 inches in length and weighs between 6.5 and 17 pounds.
Most commonly this fox has a dense white coat in winter that helps it to blend in with the snow and ice of its Arctic home, although occasionally they can be found with a pale bluish-white coat. In spring time the white winter coat is shed for a thinner two-tone brown one, while the bluish-white coat turns a darker shade. These darker colors match the summer rocks and plants of the tundra, providing effective camouflage for the fox.
The arctic fox is well suited to life in the cold and can survive in temperatures as low as -58°F. In addition to its heavy coat it has furry soles on its paws, and both short ears and muzzle all of which help it to conserve heat. Its thick tail aids in balance while also providing a warm cover when wrapped around the fox's body.
Habits and Habitat of the Arctic Fox
The arctic fox is found in the treeless coastal areas and islands of the Arctic Ocean where they live in burrows, occasionally tunneling into the snow to avoid the cold.
They survive largely on a diet of lemmings, with less than 10 percent of their summer food consisting of birds, eggs, ground squirrels and berries. So dependent is this fox on its diet of lemmings that the population of arctic foxes rises and falls with the lemming population.
When food is scarce arctic foxes will follow polar bears out onto the sea ice and eat the remains of seal kills left by the bears, occasionally hunting seal pups in their dens. Foxes in coastal regions will also hunt fish and small marine animals along the shoreline.
Breeding Habits of the Arctic Fox
Arctic foxes form mating pairs towards the end of winter and usually mate for life after an energetic courtship of play-fighting and chasing.
Once the pups are born, 51-57 days later, the foxes find a den and remain together. Some dens have been in use for up to 300 years and can have more than 100 entrances.
Arctic foxes have the largest litter size of any wild mammal in the world, typically having 11 pups, with litters of 22 reported in Russia. The pups weigh about 2oz when born and are blind, covered in hair and helpless.
For the first few weeks the male fox does all the hunting, with the female joining in when the pups are weaned. It then takes the efforts of both parents to feed the hungry pups as a litter of 11 whelps will consume about 30 lemmings a day, growing to 100 before the pups are ready to leave the den. The adult foxes and pups combine to consume 3500 to 4000 lemmings while in the denning period.
Conservation of the Arctic Fox
While young pups are occasionally eaten by wolves, bears or golden eagles, adult foxes have few predators aside from man. As the beautiful pelt of the arctic fox is a valuable income source for northern native peoples, they are hunted regularly according to enforced trapping seasons.
Except in the Scandinavian mainland where the arctic fox is endangered, the conservation status of the species is good.
Sources
Speller, S.W. & Grey, David R. "Mammal Fact Sheets: Arctic Fox" Hinterland Who's Who. 1990. 18 May 2009
"Arctic Fox: Arctic Fox Profile" National Geographic 18 May 2009.
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