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“Arctic foxes change from white winter coats to brown or gray summer coats.”
The arctic fox is a small canid built for polar cold, with dense fur and seasonal coat colors. It hunts lemmings and birds on the tundra and scavenges seals killed by polar bears.
Vulpes lagopusCarnivoraCanidae
Browse photographs of arctic fox across habitat, behavior, anatomy, and life stages.
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Core article
A closer look at habitat, diet, behavior, reproduction, and conservation.
Bundled in fur against a wind that can freeze exposed skin in minutes, the arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) is a small carnivore engineered for the top of the world. A member of the dog family Canidae, it travels polar tundra and ice edges from Alaska and Canada to Greenland, Iceland, Scandinavia, and Siberia. White winter coats, compact ears, and tireless scavenging let this fox survive where few other land mammals can.
Arctic foxes belong to the genus Vulpes, the true foxes — the same group as the red fox and the desert fennec fox. They were once placed in a separate genus (Alopex), but genetics show they are close relatives of other Vulpes species that specialized for extreme cold rather than forests or sand.
As Arctic climates expanded and contracted through ice ages, foxes with denser fur, shorter extremities, and seasonal camouflage outcompeted less insulated cousins in tundra habitats. Today they share the high north with wolves and polar bears, filling a different niche: smaller prey, dens on land, and opportunistic travel onto sea ice for leftovers.
Adults measure about 18 to 27 inches (46 to 68 cm) in body length, with a bushy tail that can add another foot. Weight usually falls between 6 and 17 pounds (2.7 to 7.7 kg) — lighter than most red foxes. Legs are short, ears are rounded and small, and the muzzle is blunt, all reducing surface area that would leak heat.
Fur is the main invention. A dense undercoat plus longer guard hairs trap warm air even in −50°C (−58°F) weather. Paw pads are furred for insulation and traction on ice. In winter most arctic foxes turn pure white or, in a blue morph, charcoal-gray. Summer coats molt into browns and grays that match rocks and lichen. Fat stores under the skin provide both fuel and insulation through lean months.
Arctic foxes circle the planet’s far north. They use coastal plains, inland tundra, Alpine Arctic pockets, and pack-ice edges. Dens are often dug into sandy or gravelly mounds that thaw earlier than surrounding ground, sometimes with dozens of entrances reused for generations.
In winter they may follow polar bears onto sea ice to scavenge seal remains. In summer they stay nearer dens while hunting lemmings and nesting birds. Climate warming shrinks summer sea ice and lets red foxes push farther north in some regions, squeezing arctic foxes at the southern edge of their range — especially in Scandinavia, where local populations are already small.
This fox is an opportunistic hunter and scavenger. Lemmings and other voles are staple prey when their populations boom. Birds, eggs, fish, invertebrates, berries, and carrion fill gaps when rodents crash. Following polar bears or wolf kills can deliver calorie-rich seal or reindeer leftovers during winter scarcity.
Hunting uses sharp hearing and sudden pounces through snow onto hidden rodents — a technique similar to red foxes but refined for deep drifts. Food caching helps: surplus eggs or meat may be buried near the den for later. Flexibility is survival: an arctic fox that sticks to one prey type would starve in years when lemming cycles collapse.
Breeding pairs often stay together to raise pups, and helpers from a previous litter sometimes assist. Outside the denning season adults may travel alone across huge home ranges searching for food. Communication includes barks, growls, and scent marking around dens and travel routes.
When threatened, arctic foxes rely on camouflage and speed rather than confrontation. They dig into snow dens for shelter during storms. Bold scavenging near human camps occurs where food scraps are available, but natural behavior centers on tundra and ice. Competition with expanding red foxes can force arctic foxes into poorer habitats at range edges.
Mating usually occurs in early spring so pups are born as the tundra warms. After about 52 days of gestation, females give birth to litters that commonly number 5 to 10 pups — and sometimes more when lemmings are abundant. Pups are born in underground dens, blind and dependent on milk.
Both parents bring food. As summer progresses, young play near the entrances and practice hunting insects and small prey. By autumn they must fatten for winter; many disperse to find their own territories. Wild lifespan is often only a few years because cold, food crashes, and predators take a heavy toll. In human care, arctic foxes may live more than a decade.
(Population and conservation trend data sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species)
Globally the arctic fox is classified as Least Concern, with a large circumpolar population. Local stories differ. Fennoscandian populations declined sharply from hunting, climate pressure, and red fox competition and remain conservation priorities.
Warming Arctic summers, disrupted sea ice, and prey mismatches threaten parts of the range. Historic fur trapping reduced numbers in places now protected. Conserving intact tundra, limiting red fox expansion where possible, and reducing conflict around camps help keep this polar specialist widespread for the long term.
Arctic foxes change from white winter coats to brown or gray summer coats.
Their foot pads are covered in fur for grip and insulation on ice.
They sometimes follow polar bears to scavenge leftover seal meat.
Large dens with many entrances can be used by fox families for decades.
In good lemming years, litters can include more than a dozen pups.
Rounded ears and a short snout help keep body heat from escaping.
Select a question to reveal the answer.
The arctic fox (*Vulpes lagopus*) is a small member of the Canidae family adapted to life in the high Arctic. It is closely related to other true foxes in the genus *Vulpes*.
They live in polar tundra and coastal Arctic habitats across North America, Greenland, Iceland, northern Europe, and Siberia, sometimes traveling onto sea ice.
Arctic foxes are opportunistic carnivores. They hunt lemmings, voles, birds, and eggs, and they scavenge carrion, including seals left by polar bears.
Their white winter fur camouflages them against snow. In summer many foxes molt into brown or gray coats that match tundra rocks and plants.
Arctic foxes are smaller, with shorter legs and ears for saving heat. Red foxes are larger and more adaptable to forests and farmland, and they can push arctic foxes out of overlapping areas.
A baby arctic fox is called a pup (or kit). Both parents feed the litter at a tundra den during the short Arctic summer.
Globally they are Least Concern, but some populations — especially in Scandinavia — face serious threats from climate change and competition with red foxes.
Thick layered fur, furry feet, a compact body shape, and fat stores help them survive temperatures far below freezing.
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