Hope you brought a jacket; it's cold where I live!


Image located at http://mynarskiforest.purrsia.com/ev16ahab.htm       Image located at http://www.greglasley.net/arcticfox.html


A. lagopus lives primarily in alpine and Arctic tundra regions, usually in coastal areas.  It can be found on many of the Arctic islands, as well as in northern Greenland, Svalbard, and Ellesmere Island (Sale, 2006).  It has a circumpolar distribution on both islands and the mainland.  Some strains of Arctic fox have been found in Iceland following escapes from fur farms located there.  The northern limit of its range is defined by the availability of food while the southern limit is the range of the red fox, which due to its larger size will drive the Arctic fox out (Sale, 2006).  Other types of wildlife that inhabit this environment include polar bears, wolves, lemmings, seals, and many types of ground-nesting birds, as well as creatures such as caribou.  There are also many sea mammals in the Arctic, including walruses, seals and beluga whales.

It has been observed that in general the white morph of the Arctic fox is primarily continental while the blue morph is more common on the islands (Sale, 2006), and that mixing of the two occurs primarily because of winter migration.  A. lagopus is typically residential but becomes somewhat migratory when prey is scarce.  It is believed that migration could be due at least in part to foxes being carried by ice floes during the spring when ice is melting.  Dens are generally made in low mounds in light soil on the open tundra, and are usually some distance apart (Nowak, 1999).  An Arctic fox family group's territory is typically greater than 12 square miles.  A. lagopus is very territorial during the summer months, with both sexes marking the boundaries of their territory with urine and feces on prominent tussocks or rocks.  When disputing territorial claims with other foxes, they communicate using a high-pitched undulating whine.


White and Blue Morph Arctic Foxes from http://www.lioncrusher.com/animal.asp?animal=3





Reproduction