ARCTIC FOX

BY HAYLEY

Appearance: There are two sub species of Arctic foxes. The types of foxes are the White fox and the Blue fox in the summer they look alike with greyish brown fur. But in the winter the White fox has a white coat and the Blue fox has a blueish grey coat in winters by the sea coasts. They have small ears to conserve body heat. Newborn Arctic fox pups of both colored phases are covered in short dark velvety brown fur. This fur will eventually get lighter in about 3 weeks. The Arctic fox can weigh up to 43 pounds.

Habitat: The Arctic fox lives in a den, caves or burrows that they dig in the side of a cliff. During winter they often bury into the snow for protection, also Arctic fox kits are born in a den too. Arctic fox baby are called kits.

Food: The Arctic fox eats birds, birds eggs, berries, fish, voles, and squirrels. But it's favorite food is lemmings and polar bear scraps such as seal, or whale meat.

Enemies:Arctic fox enemies are polar bears and the kits enemies is the snowy owl but their biggest enemies are hunters.

Life Cycle: The Arctic fox lives in a den. The den is 6~12 feet long. The Arctic fox has 12 babies at 3 weeks. They go hunting on their own. Many of them die.

Other Facts: The Arctic fox is the only one in the dog family that changes color. The Arctic fox mates for life. The babies are as small as a kitten. A male Arctic fox is called a dog fox. A female Arctic fox is called a vixon. The Arctic fox can travel many miles. The Arctic foxes foot pads are dense with fur so they can move on rough snow, if the Arctic fox family can't find food in the winter the dog fox will let the family kill him and eat him.

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