The Arctic Fox  Characteristics The arctic fox is dark gray to bluish brown in the summer. In the winter its fur is white or creamy white. It has a long bushy tail, a short nose and small, curled back ears. It has short legs and thick fur. Its short legs and nose, thick fur and small ears are adaptions that help it survive in cold climates. Because its legs are so short and its ears and nose are small, they are less exposed to the cold. The arctic fox also has thick fur and hair on its paw pads that help keep it warm. When the arctic fox is sleeping, it protects its nose from the cold by curling its bushy tail around its body. The arctic fox is about three feet long and weighs between five and fifteen pounds. Males are larger than females. Diet The arctic fox is an opportunities eater. It will eat just about whatever it comes across. It eats small mammals like lemmings   and it also eats birds, insects and eggs. In fact, in the winter it often follows polar bears and wolves and eats their leftover kill. In the summer the arctic fox will carry extra food to its den and store it under rocks to eat later. The arctic fox sometimes even makes its own freezer by digging a hole in the permafrost   and storing its food there. A major source of food for the arctic fox is the lemming. In fact, the arctic fox population often peaks every four years in a cycle that follows lemming population changes. Life Cycle The arctic fox mates between February and June. The female builds a new den and gives birth to between six and twelve dark--furred kits. Both the female and the male will take care of the young kits. The male will guard the den and bring food to the den for the mother and the kits. The kits are weaned   when they are between two and four weeks old and then they will start to leave the den. What can we learn about the arctic fox's diet?
It eats only one kind of food It will carry extra food to its den in the winter It eats the leftovers of other animals in winter It is difficult to hunt lemmings as food.