BIOMES KEY
Animal List

Arctic Fox

Alopex Lagopus

 

The Arctic fox at the Burnet Park Zoo in Syracuse, NY

 

General Information

The Arctic fox belongs to the mammal class of vertebrates. It is mostly found around the Arctic Circle, in icy regions of the tundra biome .

The Arctic fox is a very small animal. It has a sort of cylinder body and a muzzled nose. Its body is all white, but it has a black nose and pink toenails.

The Arctic fox has its own voice of yips and yaps. It usually waits for a big animal to kill something and pick at the leftovers. These foxes are also the main predators of birds.

While they're eating, they'll lash out their paws to keep others away. Their white fur helps them hide from predators. Mating season begins in April, and babies are born in about May or June. Much of the time there are about 5-10 babies. The male stays with them to protect them.

Zoo Observations

Arctic foxes have a voice; they communicate with each other through snarls, barks, and howls. They feed upon scraps left by polar bears. They also eat eggs of other mammals.

Niche / Habitat

The Arctic fox lives in the northern part of Europe and around the Arctic Circle. They sometimes move with the polar bears.

 

Adaptations

 

Arctic foxes don't hibernate, but they do migrate to get a little warmer. They migrate as far as Montreal, Canada. In mid-winter they have extra fur to keep their handling good on ice.

 

 

 

 

Food Web

 

 


Environmental Change

If Arctic foxes are in too cool weather, they warm up by their thick fur. During the summer, their fur turns brown. They are known to live three miles away from the North Pole. They live in a lot of different areas. They go down south for the coldest park of the winter. They are known to go as far as Montreal, Canada.


References

"Arctic Fox." The International Wildlife Encyclopedia. 1969 ed.


Tundra Biome / Return to Animals