One of the 17 foxes on WAnimals
Mammals · Carnivora · Canidae
Vulpes lagopus
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
A small canid whose thick coat is white in winter and brown in summer, able to survive temperatures as low as -50 °C.
Weight
3 kg – 8 kg
Size
45 cm – 70 cm
Life expectancy
8 years
Diet
Omnivore
Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.
Activity
Irregular activity
Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.
Social structure
In pairs
Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Estimated population
Several hundred thousand animals across the Arctic as a whole. The exception is the mainland Scandinavian subpopulation, in a critical state: some 560 adults were estimated between 2021 and 2023 on the mountain tundra of Norway, Sweden and Finland, against fewer than 200 two decades earlier
AI-generated images: illustrations, not photographs.
Sources consulted: AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Britannica; Animal Diversity Web; A-Z Animals; Nature Table (WordPress); Arctic Portal; Animals We Like; Animalia.bio; IUCN Red List: Preocupación menor desde 2004, con una población global amplia; la abundancia fluctúa en ciclos de 3-4 años siguiendo a la de lemmings y topillos || IUCN Red List, evaluación de Vulpes lagopus; Wallén et al. 2023; WWF
Best time: All year round
The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented — showing 10 of 19.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Arctic Fox — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Based on what we already know about arctic fox.
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