北极狐是栖息在加拿大、美国、格陵兰、冰岛、挪威、瑞典、芬兰和俄罗斯北极区及高山冻土带的小型犬科动物。大多数北极狐在冬天时会长出厚厚的白色毛皮，可抵御极端气候的影响。它们的毛皮在夏天会变成棕色或深灰色，腹侧颜色较浅且较薄得多。有一小部分的群体在冬季和夏季都维持棕色，称为蓝色变种。北极狐有又宽又圆的耳朵、琥珀色的小眼睛和小巧的黑色鼻子。它们的肩高为 25 至 30 厘米，尾长 25 至 35 厘米。雄性头部加身体的长度为 46 至 68 厘米，体重 3.2 至 9.4 公斤，平均 3.5 公斤。雌性体型较小，头部加身体的长度为 41 至 55 厘米，体重 1.4 至 3.2 公斤，平均 2.9 公斤。
Latin Name
Vulpes lagopus
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arctic-fox
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Animal Facts
The Arctic fox is the only native land mammal found in Iceland.
Arctic fox paw pads are completely covered in fur, giving them their Latin species name ‘lagopus’, meaning ‘rabbit foot’.
Arctic foxes and lemmings have interlinked cyclical population density, meaning the abundance of both species is highly dependent on the other.
The Arctic fox may build up its body fat by 50% in the autumn in order to survive the Arctic winter.
The Arctic fox must deal with a temperature difference of up to 100°C between its internal body temperature and the environmental temperature.
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