Reproduction/life cycle:
Length of life: In the wild, Arctic foxes usually live to be 5 to 7 years old. In captivity they can live up to 16 years.
Arctic foxes are active in early September to early May and the gestation period lasts from 49 to 57 days. The amount of young per litter varies depending on the availability of food. The average litter size varies from 5-8 kits and sometimes they are known to have up to 18 kits. The kits are usually weaned at about 2-4 weeks and will then come out from their den. Both the female and male parents help raise their young. The male parent stays with the young to help feed them. He will mate with the female a few weeks after the first litter is born. Arctic foxes reach sexual maturity at around ten months and are capable of breeding when they are ten months to a year old, even though most young do not survive their first six months of life. When it reaches summer, the females usually leave the family to form their own groups while the males stay with the family.
Length of life: In the wild, Arctic foxes usually live to be 5 to 7 years old. In captivity they can live up to 16 years.
Arctic foxes are active in early September to early May and the gestation period lasts from 49 to 57 days. The amount of young per litter varies depending on the availability of food. The average litter size varies from 5-8 kits and sometimes they are known to have up to 18 kits. The kits are usually weaned at about 2-4 weeks and will then come out from their den. Both the female and male parents help raise their young. The male parent stays with the young to help feed them. He will mate with the female a few weeks after the first litter is born. Arctic foxes reach sexual maturity at around ten months and are capable of breeding when they are ten months to a year old, even though most young do not survive their first six months of life. When it reaches summer, the females usually leave the family to form their own groups while the males stay with the family.
Female Reproductive System:
The gamete is created in the ovary. When the egg is ready to be fertilized, it travels through the oviduct, where fertilization takes place. The oviduct then branches off into the uterine horn, where the oviduct and uterus meet. The uterus is where the fertilized egg will develop. The cervix is where the sperm enters the body to fertilize the egg, and the vagina is the external opening out of the body through the genitals. The vagina also contains many layers of mucous, which release mucous to capture bacteria and other harmful particles before they enter the body. |
Male Reproduction System:
The male gamete, sperm, is made in the testicles. Foxes also have an epididymis where they store the sperm. When ejaculation occurs, sperm travels from the epididymis through the vas deferens to the prostate for the prostate to add other liquids to help the sperm exit the body and to nurture the sperm as well. Then it makes fluid called semen, which exits the body by traveling through the penis and going through the urethra. The fox has important structures that make up the whole penis that includes the glans penis. The glans penis is located at the bottom of the penis, and it's a circular structure that expands when sexual intercourse occurs, making sure that the penis stays in the vagina. The scrotum helps to regulate temperature in the fox so the sperm can thrive in the testicles. |