Outfoxing the Freeze

The arctic fox, sometimes called the snow fox or polar fox, lives in polar tundra and forest regions—windy, icy, treeless plains in Greenland, Scandinavia, northern Russia, Alaska, Canada, and surrounding islands. In these places, the temperatures can get as cold as -50ºF.

Adult arctic foxes usually weigh about 10 pounds. With little fat to keep them warm, their small bodies need extra help to outfox the freeze. In his provision, God equipped these cute critters with special features to weather their bitter environment.

A Coat for Every Season

During the warm summer months, the arctic fox’s fur is short, thin, and brownish gray. Its colorful summer coat helps it blend in with dirt and rocks while it hunts.

As summer ends, the fox gains about double its fat to keep warm. And from the fox’s head to paw to tail, its fur grows until it is two times thicker and longer than the summer coat. But this thicker fur is snow white, creating the perfect camouflage for the winter months.

A Fur Scarf

Along with their new white coat, arctic foxes have long furry tails. When temperatures dip at night, their tails shield them from the cold. While they sleep, they wrap up in their tail like a blanket. They might also curl their tail around their face to keep their nose warm.

No Cold Feet Here

Coat? Check! Scarf? Check! But how do a fox’s feet keep up in the cold?

As their thick winter coat grows in, fur also thickens on the bottom of their paws. These built-in snow boots do more than keep an arctic fox’s feet warm. The thick fur also provides traction to keep the critter from slipping and sliding on the ice.

More Than Meets the Eye

In the Arctic, winter doesn’t just mean cold—it also means complete darkness. During the winter months, the Arctic part of the earth is tilted away from the sun. This means the sun doesn’t directly shine on the Arctic after the end of September. The sun doesn’t rise again until March. This long darkness is called polar night. (Read more about how seasons work on page 12).

To survive dark winters, arctic foxes have excellent night vision. They have a structure in the back of their eyes that works like a mirror. The structure captures small amounts of light from the moon or stars and reflects it back through the eye’s retina.

Follow Your Nose

In the perfect creation, animals ate only plants. But after Adam and Eve rebelled against God, animals began hunting each other for food. To survive in our fallen world, arctic foxes need more than just their warm winter outfits and excellent eyesight. God also equipped them with an incredible sense of smell and hearing to help them find meals.

Arctic foxes will eat almost anything, including insects, berries, small rodents, fish—and even poo when food is scarce! In the summer, they scavenge and stash food for the winter. By the time they’re ready to feast, their snacks might be buried under several feet of snow. Their incredible sense of smell helps them sniff out exactly where they hid their food earlier in the year.

Arctic foxes also use their amazing noses to find meat that other animals like polar bears have already killed. After the bear has its fill, an arctic fox will help itself to any leftovers.

All Ears

Many animals lose body heat through their ears. But God equipped arctic foxes with small ears that are covered in thick fur to prevent them from losing too much heat.

Though small, an arctic fox’s ears are powerful enough to hear small rodents running under the snow. They can even track the sound to pinpoint the rodent’s exact location. When the fox locks onto its target, it dives headfirst into the snow. Dinner is served!

Built to Bear the Cold

From ear to foot and coat to tail, every feature on the arctic fox tells of a thoughtful and caring designer. And just as God provides this cute critter with everything it needs to survive in the snow, he provides for all your needs too!