Description
The Arctic fox is a small white fox known also as a snow fox, white fox, polar fox, ice fox and blue fox due to its white fur and spending most of its time in the snow. Arctic foxes have bilateral symmetry meaning that the organisms’ body has two mirror image sides. They also have a stocky body with short legs and torso, a short muzzle, small eyes and nose, and short, rounded ears. The fox does not have very good eyesight. The fox is about 60 cm long and has a tail that is approximately 30 cm long. The female Arctic foxes usually weigh around 5 to 6 lbs while the males weigh an average of 5 to 8 lbs, tending to be slightly larger than their female counterparts.
The Arctic fox is a small white fox known also as a snow fox, white fox, polar fox, ice fox and blue fox due to its white fur and spending most of its time in the snow. Arctic foxes have bilateral symmetry meaning that the organisms’ body has two mirror image sides. They also have a stocky body with short legs and torso, a short muzzle, small eyes and nose, and short, rounded ears. The fox does not have very good eyesight. The fox is about 60 cm long and has a tail that is approximately 30 cm long. The female Arctic foxes usually weigh around 5 to 6 lbs while the males weigh an average of 5 to 8 lbs, tending to be slightly larger than their female counterparts.
Adaptions: The Arctic Fox has many physical characteristics that allows it to live and survive in its environment. In the winter months the temperatures can be as low as 50 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, so the fox needs certain adaptions to survive in those dangerous and often deadly temperatures. The Arctic Fox has a thick winter coat to protect it from the cold, a nose that reduces heat loss and can detect prey, heavily furred ears that control sound location and heat loss, as well as fur on the soles of the feet to maintain steadiness on ice, and increased blood flow to the feet pads to prevent freezing. Arctic foxes have extremely long and bushy tails that aid in locomotion and muffle the sounds made by their bodies crossing terrain. A very interesting adaption that the Arctic fox has is it's color changing fur. During the winter the Arctic foxes fur is white to blend into its snowy surroundings. When the winter months end and the snow has melted, the foxes' fur changes to a brown-greyish color to still be as camouflaged. Their everlasting camouflaged fur also supports them in their hunting.