"White fox" redirects here. For other uses, see White Fox (disambiguation).
Arctic fox
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Secure (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Carnivora
Family:
Canidae
Genus:
Vulpes
Species:
V. lagopus
Binomial name
Vulpes lagopus
(Linnaeus, 1758)[3]
Arctic fox range
Synonyms[4][5][6][7]
Alopex lagopus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Canis lagopus Linnaeus, 1758
Canis fuliginosus Bechstein, 1799
Canis groenlandicus Bechstein, 1799
Vulpes arctica Oken, 1816
Vulpes hallensis Merriam, 1900
Vulpes pribilofensis Merriam, 1903
Vulpes beringensis Merriam, 1903
The Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus), also known as the white fox, polar fox, or snow fox, is a small species of fox native to the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and common throughout the Arctic tundra biome.[1][8][9][10] It is well adapted to living in cold environments, and is best known for its thick, warm fur that is also used as camouflage. It has a large and very fluffy tail. In the wild, most individuals do not live past their first year but some exceptional ones survive up to 11 years.[11] Its body length ranges from 46 to 68 cm (18 to 27 in), with a generally rounded body shape to minimize the escape of body heat.
The Arctic fox preys on many small creatures such as lemmings, voles, ringed seal pups, fish, waterfowl, and seabirds. It also eats carrion, berries, seaweed, and insects and other small invertebrates. Arctic foxes form monogamous pairs during the breeding season and they stay together to raise their young in complex underground dens. Occasionally, other family members may assist in raising their young. Natural predators of the Arctic fox are golden eagles,[12] Arctic wolves, polar bears,[13] wolverines, red foxes, and grizzly bears.[14][15]
^ abAngerbjörn, A. & Tannerfeldt, M. (2014). "Vulpes lagopus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T899A57549321. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-2.RLTS.T899A57549321.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
^"Vulpes lagopus". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
^Linnæus, C. (1758). "Vulpes lagopus". Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I (in Latin) (10th ed.). Holmiæ (Stockholm): Laurentius Salvius. p. 40. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
^Oken, L. (1816). Lehrbuch der Naturgeschichte. Vol. 3. Jena, Germany: August Schmid und Comp. p. 1033.
^Merriam, C.H. (1900). "Papers from the Harriman Alaska Expedition. I. Descriptions of twenty-six new mammals from Alaska and British North America". Proceedings of the Washington Academy of Sciences. 2: 15–16. JSTOR 24525852. Archived from the original on 4 March 2018.
^Merriam, C.H. (1902). "Four New Arctic Foxes". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 15: 171. Archived from the original on 4 March 2018.
^Merriam 1902, pp. 171–172.
^Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 532–628. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
^"Arctic Fox | National Geographic". Animals. 10 September 2010. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
^"Arctic fox | mammal | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
^Cite error: The named reference dx.doi.org was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Arctic Fox at Fisheries and Land Resources
^Arctic Fox at National Geographic
^Gallant, D.; Reid, D.G.; Slough, B.G.; Berteaux, D. (2014). "Natal den selection by sympatric arctic and red foxes on Herschel Island, Yukon, Canada". Polar Biology. 37 (3): 333–345. Bibcode:2014PoBio..37..333G. doi:10.1007/s00300-013-1434-1. S2CID 18744412.
^Noren, K.; Hersteinsson, P.; Samelius, G.; Eide, N.E.; Fuglei, E.; Elmhagen, B.; Dalén, L.; Meijer, T. & Angerbjörn, A. (2012). "From monogamy to complexity: social organization of arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) in contrasting ecosystems". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 90 (9): 1102–1116. doi:10.1139/z2012-077.
The Arcticfox (Vulpes lagopus), also known as the white fox, polar fox, or snow fox, is a small species of fox native to the Arctic regions of the Northern...
Operation ArcticFox (German: Unternehmen Polarfuchs; Finnish: operaatio Napakettu; Russian: Кандалакшская операция) was the codename given to a World...
divisions: The fox-like canids, which include the kit fox (Vulpes velox), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), Cape fox (Vulpes chama), Arcticfox (Vulpes lagopus)...
farmed species of fox are the American red fox (Vulpes vulpes fulva) and the arcticfox (Vulpes lagopus). The red fox was initially farmed in 1895 in Prince...
The Arctic (/ˈɑːrtɪk/ or /ˈɑːrktɪk/) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling...
The Canadian Arctic tundra is a biogeographic designation for Northern Canada's terrain generally lying north of the tree line or boreal forest, that corresponds...
the Arcticfox. Arctic rabies viruses circulating in Arctic countries are phylogenetically related to rabies viruses in India. The Indian arctic-like...
current seasons landscape. The red fox, Ruppell's fox, and Tibetan sand fox possess white-tipped tails. The Arcticfox's tail-tip is of the same color as...
pet or hand-feed the foxes is not advised as they may bite. There are over 100 foxes, including typical red and arcticfoxes, foxes with uncommon coat colors...
the Arcticfox has a small native population in northern Scandinavia, and while the corsac fox's range extends into European Russia, the red fox is the...
units from the Finnish III Corps attacked from the south in Operation ArcticFox (Polarfuchs; Napakettu) to cut off and capture Murmansk by a pincer movement...
The Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus) is a species of hare highly adapted to living in the Arctic tundra and other icy biomes. The Arctic hare survives with...
one species within a holarctic clade of foxes that also includes the red fox, the swift fox and the Arcticfox, all of which it resembles. However, the...
an Arcticfox, works in the mailroom of the Arctic Blast Delivery Service, but he has much bigger dreams. He wishes to become a Top Dog, the Arctic's star...
The fennec fox (Vulpes zerda) is a small crepuscular fox native to the deserts of North Africa, ranging from Western Sahara and Mauritania to the Sinai...
The ArcticFox Centre (Icelandic: Melrakkasetur [ˈmɛlˌrahkaˌsɛːtʏr̥]) is a research centre with an enclosed exhibition and café in the municipality Súðavík...
The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66°...
rock ptarmigan, lagomorphs such as the Arctic hare, mustelids such as the stoat, and one canid, the Arcticfox. Since these have evolved separately, the...
among Small Canids: Mitochondrial DNA Differentiation of Swift, Kit, and ArcticFoxes". Evolution. 47 (5): 1313–1328. doi:10.2307/2410150. ISSN 0014-3820....
in the order Carnivora, which includes domestic dogs, wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals, dingoes, and many other extant and extinct dog-like mammals. A...
bears, other mammal species include the moose, caribou, wolves, red and Arcticfox, Canada lynx, wolverine, pine marten, American beaver, and North American...
The ancestral Arcticfox Vulpes qiuzhudingi is an extinct species of fox found in the Himalayas. It was primarily carnivorous. The fossils, dating from...
north of Canada, where summer is very short, remain white all year round. Arcticfox Rock ptarmigan Willow ptarmigan Snowshoe hare Stoat Long-tailed duck Chameleons...
The region supports viable populations of arctic mammals such as muskox, arctic wolves, arcticfoxes, arctic hares, polar bears, and caribou. The main...
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately 14,060,000 km2 (5,430,000 sq mi) and...
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