Habitat and distribution

Arctic foxes are distributed throughout the tundras of northern Europe, Asia, and North

America, including many islands that they once reached by walking on ice.

Description
The arctic fox has small ears and a dense coat of white fur that allows it to survive and

hunt in extreme temperatures. In the summer, this long-haired white coat changes to a

shorter-haired greyish-brown coat. Specimens with bluish fur have been documented in

Greenland.

Arctic foxes are between 35 and 55 cm long. The average weight of the male is 3.5 kg,

with a range of 3.2 to 9.4 kg, and that of the female is 2.9 kg, with a range of 1.4 to 3.2

kg.

Behaviour
They remain active all year round and are one of the few animals that do not hibernate or

migrate to other regions during the winter. They often pass over pack ice looking for

stranded whales and carrion left behind by polar bears, which they follow for days.

Feeding
Its main food consists of small mammals and birds, its main prey being the lemming. It

also consumes eggs, and sometimes hunts seal pups. They frequently feed on the carrion

left behind by larger carnivores, such as polar bears. When they do not find meat, they

consume berries and algae.

Reproduction
This species mates in March, which is the month when there are already litters of

lemmings, which will allow the mother to feed better; this one, by the month of May, will

have given birth to a litter of five or eight puppies.