--- title: "Arctic Fox (Vulpes lagopus) | AnimalTracks.wiki" description: "Feet kept just above the point where living tissue freezes, a coat color set by one gene, and satellite-tracked treks of up to 40 kilometers to hotspots on the sea ice." image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/arctic-fox-1.webp" published: "2026-09-01" updated: "2026-09-16" --- # Arctic Fox (*Vulpes lagopus*) > **Status**: Checked against 8 sources, listed under Sources below. > **Tagline**: Feet kept just above the point where living tissue freezes, a coat color set by one gene, and satellite-tracked treks of up to 40 kilometers to hotspots on the sea ice. > **Soundtrack Vibe**: Glacial Ambient & Drone Soundscapes // Ásgeir, "King and Cross" > **Soundtrack Links**: [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/5VlsKHU8L65FRqgr3zXgIW) | [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-dHIkF_lO4) > **Vibe Match**: Delicate acoustic fingerpicking and shimmering ambient reverb, calm and unhurried, like a fox whose fur insulates so well that its body needs no extra energy to stay warm even at -40°C. ## Biological Superpowers & Stats - **Taxonomy**: *Vulpes lagopus* - **Danger Level**: Low - **Conservation Status**: Least Concern ([IUCN Red List](https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2025-1.rlts.t899a223595394.en)) - **Superpower**: Feet held just above the point where living tissue freezes, and a body that needs no extra energy to stay warm even at -40°C. - **Habitat**: Treeless Arctic tundra, usually in coastal areas, across Eurasia, North America, Greenland and Iceland - **Diet**: Mainly lemmings and tundra voles in summer, plus nesting seabirds, berries, eggs and scavenged remains, including seals killed by polar bears in winter - **Tags**: canid, arctic-tundra, alpine, cold-tolerant, carnivore, burrower ## Natural History & Behavior ## Built Short to Hold Heat The arctic fox (*Vulpes lagopus*) has short legs, a short body, short ears and dense winter fur, which make it look stocky next to its slightly larger relative, the red fox. That short, rounded shape, short muzzle included, helps it lose less heat. Fully grown arctic foxes weigh 6 to 10 pounds (2.7 to 4.5 kg) and average 43 inches (109 cm) long, including a tail of about 15 inches (38 cm). In captivity, arctic foxes have lived as long as 16.3 years. In summer they feed mainly on lemmings and tundra voles, and foxes denning near seaside cliffs often depend heavily on nesting seabirds such as puffins. They sometimes eat berries, eggs and scavenged remains, too. They live in the treeless tundra of Eurasia, North America, Greenland and Iceland, usually in coastal areas. ## Paws That Refuse to Freeze A 1972 study found that arctic foxes keep their feet just above the point where living tissue freezes, about -1°C, whether standing on extremely cold snow or with a foot dunked in a -35°C bath in the lab. Warm blood shunted through a network of blood vessels in the skin of the foot pad carried more than 99% of the heat the pad surface lost. Keeping that heat exchange in the skin touching the cold ground, rather than throughout the pad, gives maximum energy efficiency, the researchers wrote. The rest of the fox leans on its fur. A 1991 review called it the best insulating fur of any mammal. The fox's lower critical temperature, the point below which a body must burn extra energy to stay warm, is under -40°C, so it doesn't need that extra burn in the temperatures it meets in the wild. ## One Gene, Two Coats Arctic foxes molt twice a year. White foxes start shedding their long winter fur in early April, and by late June the face, legs and upper body wear short brown summer fur. The switch back runs through September and October, and by November the white winter coat is complete. Blue foxes stay dark brown or charcoal all year, just slightly lighter in winter. White foxes make up over 90% of the world's arctic foxes. A 2021 study of Scandinavian arctic foxes named one gene, MC1R, as the only cause of the difference. Its white version is recessive and its blue version dominant: 878 of 882 foxes with two white copies were white, and 230 of 243 with at least one blue copy were blue. ## Long Trips Onto the Sea Ice In winter, many arctic foxes venture onto the sea ice to feed on the remains of seals killed by polar bears. Satellite tracking of foxes on Canada's Bylot Island showed how far they will go. They often traveled more than 10 kilometers, and up to 40, to reach hotspots on the sea ice where they were likely scavenging marine mammal carcasses. Each hotspot lasted one to two weeks and drew up to 12 foxes, with as many as nine there on the same day. After 30 of the 35 visits, the fox was back inside its home range the next day. > **Rabbit-Footed by Name** In winter, dense fur sheathes the arctic fox's paws, which sets it apart from other canids. That is where its scientific name comes from: *lagopus* means "rabbit-footed." ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How does an arctic fox keep its paws from freezing on the ice? A 1972 study found arctic foxes keep their feet just above the point where living tissue freezes, about -1°C, whether standing on extremely cold snow or with a foot in a -35°C lab bath. Warm blood shunted through a network of blood vessels in the skin of the foot pad carried more than 99% of the heat the pad surface lost. *(Source: [Henshaw, Underwood & Casey 1972]())* ### Do all arctic foxes turn white in winter? No. White foxes make up over 90% of the world's arctic foxes, but the blue morph stays dark brown or charcoal all year, just slightly lighter in winter. One gene, MC1R, sets the color: in a 2021 study, 878 of 882 foxes with two copies of its recessive white version were white, and 230 of 243 with at least one copy of its dominant blue version were blue. *(Source: [Tietgen et al. 2021]())* ### How far will an arctic fox travel to find food on the sea ice? Satellite-tracked foxes on Canada's Bylot Island often traveled more than 10 kilometers, and up to 40, to reach hotspots on the sea ice where they were likely scavenging marine mammal carcasses. Each hotspot lasted one to two weeks and drew up to 12 foxes. *(Source: [Lai, Bêty & Berteaux 2015]())* ## Sources 1. [Arctic Fox. Alaska Department of Fish and Game.]() 2. [Vulpes lagopus (Arctic fox). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.]() 3. [AnAge entry for Vulpes lagopus. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15, 2023.]() 4. [Tietgen et al. (2021). Fur colour in the Arctic fox: genetic architecture and consequences for fitness. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.]() 5. [Henshaw, Underwood & Casey (1972). Peripheral Thermoregulation: Foot Temperature in Two Arctic Canines. Science.]() 6. [Prestrud (1991). Adaptation by the Arctic Fox (Alopex lagopus) to the Polar Winter.]() 7. [Lai, Bêty & Berteaux (2015). Spatio–temporal hotspots of satellite–tracked arctic foxes reveal a large detection range in a mammalian predator. Movement Ecology.]() 8. [Angerbjörn & Norén (2025). Vulpes lagopus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T899A223595394.]() *Published September 1, 2026. 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