By Cyanne Cueva
Image credit is Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Wikimedia Commons
Special to the Enterprise
Foxes belong to the Canidae family, which includes other species such as
wolves, coyotes, and dogs. They are omnivores that can be found on nearly every continent, with the exception of Antarctica. However, one species that thrives in the cold is the arctic fox!
Arctic foxes can be found throughout the Arctic Tundra, where temperatures can be as
low as -40℃. Their body length is about 18 - 27 inches from nose to tail, with their tails being 12-14 inches. To stay warm, these foxes will sleep with their bodies curled up and their tails covering their faces. Their thick winter coats also serve as insulation and change colors between seasons to help camouflage. During snowy months it is typically white or bluish, but then reverts to shades of grey or brown during summer to blend in with grass and shrubs. This camouflage helps the foxes sneak up on their prey, which consists mostly of lemmings but can also include voles, birds, eggs, hares, and sometimes carrion.
When hunting, it can be difficult to get to the rodents living under layers of snow. Foxes have adapted by first listening for movement to locate their prey, calculating their distance and trajectory, then jumping and diving snout first into the snow to grab them. Scientists have found that foxes' success rate increases from about 18% to 74% when they face the north as opposed to any other direction. They believe they are using the Earth’s magnetic field to judge distance, depth, and direction before capturing their food.
While considered a species of least concern, the Scandinavian mainland population has been labeled critically endangered, and was declared a protected species in the 1940s. Additionally, arctic fox populations fluctuate with the cycles of vole and lemming populations, which means the species may be more vulnerable some years than others if hunting and trapping by humans is not regulated. Climate change and over hunting of grey wolves has also impacted their habitats and allowed for red fox populations to spread and take over what was previously arctic fox territory. Hunting responsibly and working to preserve the uniqueness of each of earth's biomes can help the arctic fox and countless other species grow and stay off the endangered species list.
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