Overview

The Arctic fox is superbly adapted to the coldest places on Earth — the only canid native to Iceland and a survivor of temperatures below minus 50°C. Its thick fur changes colour with the seasons: white in winter for snow camouflage, brown-grey in summer against tundra rock.

Arctic foxes follow polar bears to scavenge seal kills on the ice, cache surplus food in the tundra, and raise large litters of up to 14 pups in good lemming years. They are smaller than red foxes, with short ears and muzzle to conserve heat.

Habitat

Arctic tundra and coastal ice across Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Scandinavia, and Russia hold Arctic foxes. They den in eskers and riverbanks, and range widely following lemming cycles and carrion availability.

Countries found

Interesting facts

01
Arctic foxes change from brown in summer to white in winter for camouflage.
02
They can survive temperatures below minus 50°C.
03
Blue-phase Arctic foxes keep a charcoal coat year-round in some populations.

Conservation status

LC — Least Concern

Arctic foxes are Least Concern globally but the Scandinavian population is Critically Endangered. Climate change and competition from expanding red foxes threaten southern Arctic populations.