Foxes in the Snow

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When food gets scarce, the Arctic fox can find or dig a snow den and hibernate. By slowing down its heart rate and metabolism, the fox can enter a hibernation-like state for a week or two and try to hunt again after some time has passed. Do Arctic foxes hibernate? Angerbjörn, A.; etal. (1995). "Dynamics of the Arctic fox population in Sweden". Annales Zoologici Fennici. 32: 55–68. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014. The Arctic fox is losing ground to the larger red fox. This has been attributed to climate change—the camouflage value of its lighter coat decreases with less snow cover. [51] Red foxes dominate where their ranges begin to overlap by killing Arctic foxes and their kits. [52] An alternative explanation of the red fox's gains involves the gray wolf. Historically, it has kept red fox numbers down, but as the wolf has been hunted to near extinction in much of its former range, the red fox population has grown larger, and it has taken over the niche of top predator. [ citation needed] In areas of northern Europe, programs are in place that allow the hunting of red foxes in the Arctic fox's previous range. Goltsman, M.; Kruchenkova, E. P.; MacDonald, D. W. (1996). "The Mednyi Arctic foxes: treating a population imperilled by disease". Oryx. 30 (4): 251–258. doi: 10.1017/S0030605300021748. Specia, M. (2019). "An Arctic Fox's Epic Journey: Norway to Canada in 76 Days". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022 . Retrieved 2 July 2019.

As a result of their coat changing color with the season, arctic foxes blend in well with the surroundings. When it’s winter, they are white so that they blend in with the snow, and when it’s summer, they are brown or gray. Therefore, they can sneak up on their prey without being noticed.

Kit Fox

Våge, D.I.; Fuglei, E.; Snipstad, K.; Beheim, J.; Landsem, V.M.; Klungland, H. (2005). "Two cysteine substitutions in the MC1R generate the blue variant of the arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) and prevent expression of the white winter coat". Peptides. 26 (10): 1814–1817. doi: 10.1016/j.peptides.2004.11.040. hdl: 11250/174384. PMID 15982782. S2CID 7264542. Disclosure statement: Jacob Job does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. The Arctic fox looks similar to the common red fox but smaller, furrier, and pure white in colour. Its compact body features a number of adaptations that allow it to live in the icy Arctic regions. Even though temperatures can descend to minus 50 degrees Celsius, the Arctic fox’s luxurious winter coat keeps its body temperature at a cosy 40 degrees Celsius. Their snowy white colouring helps them blend in with their icy surroundings and hide from predators. Their feet are also covered in a dense layer of fur that acts as a natural snow boot, allowing foxes to sneak around silently on the snow while keeping their feet safe from the chill. An Arctic fox can also use its fluffy tail as a blanket while it sleeps to maximise warmth and comfort. When Alfie and Bonnie's mother leaves them in their warm den underneath the oak tree, warning them not to leave, the two fox cubs soon grow restless, and Bonnie begins to explore. Discovering a magical white substance coming down outside, she convinces Alfie to join her, and soon the two are cavorting through the snow-covered wood. But when its begins to get dark, and they realize they are far from home, things suddenly don't seem so fun... The Arctic fox has a functional hearing range between 125Hz–16kHz with a sensitivity that is ≤ 60dB in air, and an average peak sensitivity of 24dB at 4kHz. Overall, the Arctic foxes hearing is less sensitive than the dog and the kit fox. The Arctic fox and the kit fox have a low upper-frequency limit compared to the domestic dog and other carnivores. [28] The Arctic fox can easily hear lemmings burrowing under 4-5 inches of snow. [29] When it has located its prey, it pounces and punches through the snow to catch its prey. [27]

Data on fur farms is hard to obtain because most fur farming is believed to take place in Russia. However, reports suggest that hundreds of thousands of Arctic foxes are bred and killed each year for their fur. These foxes are not domesticated (it’s still unknown whether it’s possible to fully domesticate foxes), and they spend their lives in high-stress situations where they can’t move freely or distance themselves from humans. Although fur farms don’t affect the wild population of Arctic foxes, it’s still a problem in the eyes of people who believe Arctic foxes deserve freedom. Climate change The Arctic fox contains advantageous genes to overcome extreme cold and starvation periods. Transcriptome sequencing has identified two genes that are under positive selection: Glycolipid transfer protein domain containing 1 (GLTPD1) and V-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 2 (AKT2). GLTPD1 is involved in the fatty acid metabolism, while AKT2 pertains to the glucose metabolism and insulin signaling. [31] Olli Järvinen & Kaarina Miettinen (1987). Sammuuko suuri suku? – Luonnon puolustamisen biologiaa (in Finnish). Vantaa: Suomen luonnonsuojelun tuki. pp.95, 190. ISBN 951-9381-20-1. a b c d e Angerbjörn, A. & Tannerfeldt, M. (2014). " Vulpes lagopus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T899A57549321. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-2.RLTS.T899A57549321.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021. Arctic foxes are also referred to as white foxes or polar foxes due to their white fur and polar habitat. What do Arctic foxes look like?

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But how do arctic foxes find lemmings that are hidden underneath the snow? The answer: by listening for their footsteps! Hearing like a dog