北極狐是棲息在加拿大、美國、格陵蘭、冰島、挪威、瑞典、芬蘭和俄羅斯北極區及高山苔原的小型犬科動物。大多數北極狐在冬天時會長出厚厚的白色毛皮，可抵禦極端氣候的影響。牠們的毛皮在夏天會變成棕色或深灰色，腹側顏色較淺且較薄得多。有一小部分的群體在冬季和夏季都維持棕色，稱為藍色變種。北極狐有又寬又圓的耳朵、琥珀色的小眼睛和小巧的黑色鼻子。牠們的肩高為 25 至 30 公分，尾長 25 至 35 公分。雄性頭部加身體的長度為 46 至 68 公分，體重 3.2 至 9.4 公斤，平均 3.5 公斤。雌性體型較小，頭部加身體的長度為 41 至 55 公分，體重 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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