Physiology of the Arctic fox

Arctic fox: what is it like

The Arctic fox’s body height ranges from 35 to 65 centimeters, and its body length varies from 45 to 70 centimeters; the species' mass is between 3.09 and 3.15 kilograms. During the "Embryo" stage, the developing individual has a body mass ranging from 1 to 40 grams and a body length of 5 to 12 centimeters. As a “Pup,” the young have a body mass from 60 grams to 0.8 kilograms and a body length between 20 and 40 centimeters. The “Adult” stage is characterized by a body mass ranging from 3.5 to 5.5 kilograms and a body length of 50 to 70 centimeters.

Mass
3088–3148 g
Length
450–700 mm
Lifespan
3653–5114 days 10–14 years
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arctic-fox
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arctic fox
Vulpes lagopus
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The Arctic fox, or polar fox, is a small predator from the canine family. It lives in the Arctic and has thick fur that turns white in winter and brown in summer to camouflage better.
The Arctic fox differs from the common fox by its short ears and muzzle, which help retain heat in severe frosts. It is important for Arctic nature because it regulates the population of rodents and serves as food for wolves and eagles.
hunting and scavenging carrion
trophic:carnivore
feeding_sense:hearing
feeding_timing:nocturnal
#f2f2f2
Mass (adult carnivoran, male)
3500–5500 g
Mass (adult carnivoran, female)
3000–4500 g
Mass (embryo)
1–40 g
Mass (puppy)
60–800 g
Length (embryo)
8–32.5 mm
Length (puppy)
200–400 mm
Length (adult carnivoran, male)
500–700 mm
Length (adult carnivoran, female)
450–650 mm
Height
350–650 mm
Maturity
304–365 days 10 months 1 week – 1 year
Lifespan maximum
7780 days 21 years 4 months
Theoretical lifespan
2977–5954 days 8–16 years
Gestation
52 days 1 month 3 weeks
Litter size
5–12
Maturity
300–365 days 10 months – 1 year
Offspring
5–12
Duration (adult carnivoran)
330–2555 days 11 months – 7 years
Duration (puppy)
1–45 days 1 day – 1 month 2 weeks
Duration (embryo)
52–65 days 2 months
Age (embryo)
39–65 days 1–2 months
Age (juvenile)
334 days 11 months 1 week
Age (from birth to death)
2977–5954 days 8–16 years
Repro interval
365 days 1 year
Eyes count (puppy)
2
Tail count (adult carnivoran)
1
Legs count (adult carnivoran)
4
Ears count (adult carnivoran)
2
Ears size (adult carnivoran)
60–90 mm
Tail size (adult carnivoran)
250–350 mm
Fur temp (adult carnivoran)
-50–15 °C
Reproduction
normal sexual
Comparable in mass
Melon
Shelter materials
berries
Trophic type
carnivore
Feeding
berries
Feeding
voles
Feeding
lemmings
Feeding
rodents
Feeding (after transformation until death)
beasts
Feeding (after transformation until death)
vertebrates
Feeding
eggs
Feeding
birds
Feeding (after transformation until death)
amphibians
Feeding
carrion
Feeding (puppy)
milk
Feeding
Fruit
Feeding
Carrion
Reproduction
both parents
Reproduction
in a burrow
Reproduction
live birth
Reproduction
in a terrestrial nest
Reproduction
land
Physiology
The arctic fox molts twice a year. In spring, white fur changes to brown, and in autumn, brown to white.
3652.5
5113.5
2976.7875
5953.575
450.0
700.0
3087.7397063956655
3148.0466263267913
The arctic fox molts twice a year. In spring, white fur changes to brown, and in autumn, brown to white.
-1
-1
homogamy, reproduction always with fertilization, no alternation of generations
Immature form that undergoes metamorphosis before adulthood.
Worker
Tail size
Were {name} like {animal}, then:
birth time
ambush
both parents
breeding
very cold, short summer, lots of moss
Dogs, dolphins, lynx hang out for 9-25 years and party on their birthday three times a year
m
Map
will celebrate their {n} birthday
g
summer mild, +15…+20 °C
Polar tundra
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
Legs count
very cold, short summer, almost no trees, lots of moss
days
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
Theoretical maximum lifespan estimated from the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) mathematical model. This value reflects a biological potential derived from metabolic parameters, not from direct observation — real recorded lifespans are often significantly shorter.
adult carnivoran
Maturity
Melon
About health
vertebrates
milk
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
rodents in general — rats, squirrels, ground squirrels
carrion
Repro interval
results
land coast flooded by tides — salt marshes, littoral zone
Carrion
Eyes count
Colors
Cool summer
Sex
protection from cold
Upcoming jubilees
scavenging, eat already dead animals
Gremllins
mo
Uses an excavated underground tunnel or chamber for refuge or nesting.
Trophic type
Filters
Tail count
Palearctic realm
Upcoming birthdays
Winter with snow
eggs, roe or offspring develop in a nest built on the ground or close to it
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
in a burrow
Height
rains almost always, very humid
young are born live on land, not hatched from eggs or roe
Age (juvenile)
Age (from birth to death)
hunting and scavenging carrion
Age (embryo)
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
Wanderers
Food items are collected from exposed outer surfaces of substrates.
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
Fruit
berries
Ears size
More:
Tundra
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
Lifespan average
in a terrestrial nest
live birth
beasts
live amphibians, frogs, salamanders
What do they look like?
Maturity
scavenging
emergence (insects)
amphibians
end of lifespan
birds
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
dead vertebrates
end of acceleration
Share
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
nest hidden in an underground burrow
very cold, lots of snow and ice
Actively hunting and capturing live prey.
Pets
Nearctic realm
juicy berries — bilberry, rowan, rosehip
Lots of rain and cool summer
Feeding occurs primarily on land or in vegetation.
{name} jubilee
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
desert and semi-desert
turns
Rascals
nest hidden in an underground burrow, both parents provide care
terrestrial intertidal
Tail color
Flooded grasslands
drink mother's milk in childhood
Ears count
Litter size
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
How to care for them?
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
°C
Not specified
Share
Fur temp
Actively searching habitats to locate food items.
Where are they found?
from 0.8 to 1.2 kilograms, 0.6 – 1.2 meters
lots of rain, cool summer, snow in winter
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
Elders
Bro
Very cold
normal sexual
Taxons
carnivore
if born as {name}
cold, short summer, almost no trees
age
Predator remains still and concealed before launching a sudden attack.
birth date
Palearctic realm
arid terrestrial biotopes with sparse vegetation
rest
Fur color
Close
was
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
nocturnal
The basics
My weight?
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
surface
primary food sources
teeth
burrow
after transformation until death
Potential Habitat
d
In husbandry
On the go from 1.3 to 3.5 years. Forest mice, anoles, rainbow fish party on their birthday once a month
Mass
cold winter, lots of coniferous trees: spruce, pine
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
terrestrial
lemmings
Gestation
land
vision
{name} birthday
Nearctic realm
Link copied
jumping
No results found
North America and Greenland, from tundra to forests
Eyes color
live birds
On the map
lunge
Female ♀
all life stages
high-mountain tundra above the tree line
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0 Potential habitat modelled from GBIF occurrence data. Map © Zveriki.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
birth year
Shelter used specifically for reproduction or nesting.
Maturity
bird eggs
hearing
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
sq mm
yr
How similar?
Male ♂
until the celebration
puppy
Tundra
age as {name}
How do they breed?
On the go from 3.5 to 6 years. Hedgehogs, crows, lizards treat themselves to birthday snacks 6 times a year
Legs color
What if eaten?
live mammals, mice, hares, deer and others
Neither
from birth to adulthood
Young offspring still dependent on parental care.
What do they eat?
Where do they live?
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
much snow in winter, cold
highland tundra
Ears color
puppy
Hard dental structures used to bite, tear, or scrape food.
berries
water often floods the land, lots of grass
live voles and similar small rodents
rodents
cold season / winter
Duration
This is me
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
Foraging activity occurs primarily during nighttime hours.
Always very wet
Gamers
How are they built?
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
terrestrial
Taiga
Asexual
swap
active predation
Who among us will transform as if by magic and become like {animal}?
Rabbits, falcons, red-eared turtles hang out for 6-9 years and party on their birthday four times a year
Where do they take shelter?
inhabit and develop on land, outside water bodies
celebrated their {n} birthday
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Daddies
Lifespan maximum
voles
foraging
Hermaphrodite ⚥
North America and Greenland, from tundra to forests
Primarily detects and locates food using eyesight.
embryo
eggs
Length
kg
Rapid forward strike to seize prey.
voles
Observations
◉{N} more on tap
pupa
imago
adolescent
adolescent
arctic-fox
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