Arctic Fox

Basic Facts

Length: 21 – 22 inch

Weight: 8.75 lbs.

Social Unit: Group

Location: N. Canada, Alaska, Greenland,  

N. Europe, N. Asia

Status: Common

     The Arctic fox comes in two sort of shades, one being white-phase and the other being blue-phase, distinguishing the kind of color they are during the winter. 

      The pure white helps to camouflage the fox in the snow and ice to protect from predators and enhance their ability to sneak up on prey. These white foxes mainly reside in places that are open, treeless plains and grassy hillocks. Foxes of the blue-phase are often found in coastal regions and habitats near shrubbery. During the winter, these foxes are pale gray-brown with tinges of blue. 

During the summer months, the coat of an Arctic fox changes quite dramatically. It is now half as thick, and the color changes as well. For the white-phase fox, it becomes a gray-brown, while the blue-phase fox become a darker brown color.

Works Cited

"Tundra Climate." Blue Planet Biomes. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra_climate_page.htm>.

"9(k) Characteristics of the Earth's Terrestrial Biomes." Geography : Physical Geography. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. <http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/9k.html>.

"Arctic and Alpine Tundra Soil and Land Formation." Biomes. ThinkQuest. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. <http://library.thinkquest.org/C0113340/main.php?section=biomes&topic=tundra&subtopic=soilland>.

Snowy Owl. Youtube.com. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jN2Hpd_W9g8>.

"Tundra Animals : Artic Fox." Tundra Animals Plants. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. <http://tundra-animals-plants.blogspot.com/2011/05/tundra-animals-artic-fox.html>.

"Tundra Animals : Snowy Owl." Tundra Animals Plants. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. <http://tundra-animals-plants.blogspot.com/2011/05/tundra-animals-snowy-owl.html>.