Arctic fox

“Arctic Fox Full Coat” by Eric Kilby, licensed under CC BY SA 2.0
“Arctic Fox Summer Coat” by Eric Kilby, licensed under CC BY SA 2.0

Common Name: Arctic Fox

Scientific Name: Vulpes lagopus

Conservation Status: Least Concern (Angerbjörn & Tannerfeldt, 2014).

Habitat: Arctic and alpine tundra; Sub-Arctic maritime  (Angerbjörn & Tannerfeldt, 2014).

Range: All arctic tundra habitats. These species breed north of and above the tree line on the Arctic tundra in North America and Eurasia and on the alpine tundra in Fennoscandia, ranging from northern Greenland to the southern tip of Hudson Bay, Canada (Angerbjörn & Tannerfeldt, 2014).

Diet: Small mammals,  insects, berries, carrion, and even the stool of animals or human beings. The winter diet consists of marine mammals, invertebrates, sea birds, fish, and seals. The summer diet consists mostly of lemmings (Middlebrook, 2007).

Threats: Hunting for fur, disease, human persecution, and organic pollutants (Angerbjörn & Tannerfeldt, 2014).