Arctic Fox

Hi there! My name is Fjord, and I'm an Arctic Fox. I live in one of the coldest places on Earth—the Arctic tundra! It’s a beautiful world filled with snow and ice, and it’s the perfect home for me. My family has been known to people for a very long time. A scientist named Carl Linnaeus gave us our original scientific name, Canis lagopus, in 1758; it was later reclassified as Vulpes lagopus. But you can just call me your fluffy, frosty friend!

I have a super special trick that helps me live here. In the winter, my fur is thick and bright white, just like the snow all around me. This helps me blend in so I can sneak up on my lunch or hide from bigger animals that might be looking for me. But when summer arrives and the snow melts away, my coat magically changes! It turns into a brownish-gray color that matches the rocks and plants perfectly. It's like having the perfect camouflage for every single season of the year.

Living in the cold is easy when you're built for it! I have thick fur all over my body, even on the bottoms of my paws. Arctic foxes have thick fur on their paws that provides insulation and traction on snow and ice. When it gets really windy and cold, I have another trick. I curl up into a tight ball and wrap my big, bushy tail all around myself. It works just like a warm scarf! I also have super-sharp hearing, which helps me listen for tiny critters moving around deep under the snow.

I live with my family in cozy dens that we dig underground. Some of our dens are so old that they have been used by fox families for hundreds of years! For dinner, I love to hunt for small animals like lemmings and voles. By hunting them, I help keep the tundra balanced and healthy. I'm a small but important part of this big, beautiful, and snowy world, and I love my job of helping to take care of my home.