The arctic fox is an amazing little predator, with a thick dense white coat of fur in the winter, and a grayish to bluish coat in the summer months. The pads of their feet are also covered in fur, which aids them during the winter to walk on ice or snow. They stand about 25 cms tall at the shoulder, and average about 60cm in length. They have a pointed snout, which aids in digging. The arctic fox has a long bushy tail of about 30 cms in length.

The arctic fox lives in a den, often with many tunnels leading from the main entrance. They use their snout to dig. The vixen will give birth to six or seven pups, and can have a litter every two years. The parents will teach the kit how to hunt and look after them until they can sustain themselves.

Did you know? The female arctic fox is called a vixen.

Did you know? The male arctic fox is called a reynard.

Arctix foxes hunt for many different food types, amongst their favourites is the lemming. The arctic fox with its keen sense of smell can sniff lemmings out in their burrows, even when they are covered with snow. It will also eat birds, berries, fish or carrion. In the wintertime, the arctic fox is known to scavenge - following polar bears and eating leftovers from the polar bear's prey. The arctic fox is also prey for the polar bear, so it needs to be very fast or very discrete when choosing to scavenge.

Did you know? A new born fox is called a kit.

Further Information on the Arctix Fox:

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