Arctic fox

북극여우

It turns snow-white in winter and brown in summer to blend in, and its thick fur lets it survive about −50 °C. When food is scarce it trails polar bears to scavenge their leftovers, and it hunts lemmings in summer.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Class: Mammals
Lives in: Svalbard, Norway
Diet: Eats both plants and meat (omnivore)
Weight: about 3.5 kg
Length: about 0.85 m
Lifespan: up to about 14 years
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN LC)
Habitat: polar regions

Quick answers

Where does the Arctic fox live?

It lives in polar regions. On the globe you can find it near Svalbard, Norway.

How big is the Arctic fox?

It grows to about 0.85 m and 3.5 kg.

What does the Arctic fox eat?

Its diet: eats both plants and meat (omnivore).

How long does the Arctic fox live?

It can live up to about 14 years.

Is the Arctic fox endangered?

It is listed as Least Concern (IUCN LC).

The Arctic fox is a small fox that lives on the Arctic tundra across the Northern Hemisphere. It is built for the cold, with a round body that loses little heat, thick warm fur and a large, fluffy tail. Its body is 46 to 68 cm long, and it stands about 25 to 30 cm tall at the shoulder.

Its coat changes with the seasons. In summer it is darker and shorter, and in winter it is lighter and thicker, so the fox blends into the land or the snow. It eats lemmings, voles, seabirds, ringed seal pups, fish, berries and even seaweed, and in lean times it follows bigger hunters such as polar bears to scavenge scraps.

Dressed for the tundra

Arctic foxes moult twice a year, swapping between a darker summer coat and a lighter winter coat. The Korean Wikipedia notes that it is the only dog-family animal that changes coat colour with the season. The scientific name lagopus means 'hare foot', because its paws are covered in thick fur like a hare's.

Family life

Arctic foxes form pairs for the breeding season and raise their young in complex underground dens. Sometimes other family members help look after the pups. Most wild individuals do not live past their first year, though a few exceptional ones survive up to 11 years. Golden eagles, Arctic wolves, polar bears, wolverines and other foxes and bears may hunt them.

Fun facts

Its fur changes from brown in summer to white in winter.
Its scientific name means 'hare foot', because its furry paws look like a hare's.
It switches fur colour with the seasons.
It sometimes follows polar bears to eat leftovers.
In the wild most live less than a year, but a few reach 11.