Appearance of the arctic fox

The arctic fox can have different colouring, although white and blue are most common. Given the total distribution of arctic fox throughout the world, 95 percent of the population is white. However, in Sweden the distribution is slightly different, with an estimated 30 percent of the population being blue. This blue variation is even more common on islands. The reason for this is that the dark colouring offers better camouflage than along the coasts where there is often less snow than in the inland areas. There are currently no findings that indicate there are ecological differences between blue and white arctic foxes, with the exception of the camouflage effect in different environments.

The distribution of the arctic fox

The arctic fox is a small canine that lives on the Arctic tundra. Its geographic distribution stretches across the entire northern hemisphere.

Depending on the type of environment it is adapted to, the arctic fox can be divided into two eco-groups, lemming foxes and coastal foxes. Lemming foxes are found in Fennoscandia, North America, Canada and north-western Greenland, while coastal foxes are found in Iceland, Svalbard and Greenland.
Lemming foxes can travel long distances over the polar ice while coastal foxes are more stationary.

Winter

The white fox has pure white winter fur, including both its underfur and guard hair. The blue fox has dark brown to black colouring with a bluish overtone, thereby getting the name blue fox.

The fur is very dense and is one of the most insulating in the animal world. In the spring, the fur can become more of a dirty yellow and, as the summer draws nearer, dark spots can become visible as the fox begins to shed. The arctic fox changes to its summer fur in May-June.

Summer

In the summer, the arctic fox changes to its summer fur. The "white" arctic fox becomes brown to brownish black on its head, back and thighs, while its abdomen, sides, underside of its tail and small sections around its eyes become a yellowish-white to a golden yellow. The blue arctic fox also changes colouring and becomes darker than in the winter, going from a gray brown to a more chocolate brown.

Starting in August-September, the fur becomes more dense and lighter for both foxes, and their winter fur becomes more visible. The colouring of the white fox has less of a contrast and the blue fox becomes lighter as the dense underfur grows out.

White arctic fox in the middle of the summer?

If you see a totally white fox in the middle of the summer, it is probably not an arctic fox but rather a runaway farm fox. However, you should know that there have been rare sightings of "sand-coloured" arctic foxes.