How to identify it
Compact fox with small rounded ears and a very full tail; winter coats may be white or blue-gray and summer coats are brown-gray. [1]
Species it is confused with
Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.
- Red fox · Vulpes vulpes
Field notes
- Identification Do not identify Arctic fox from colour alone. Compare structure, size, range and the listed similar species before making a field decision.[1]
Where it lives
Arctic tundra and coastal environments north of the treeline. [1]
How it behaves
Does not hibernate; nomadic and can travel several hundred kilometres. [2][3]
Summer diet centres on lemmings and voles; also takes seabirds, eggs, berries and scavenges seal remains from polar bear kills. [2][3]
Caches surplus food in summer; dens have 4–8 entrances and are dug in sandy banks, hillocks and talus. [2][3]
Monogamous pairs raise pups together; families break up in September–October. [2][3]
Where it is listed for legal take
These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.
Where legal take is listed
- Alberta — trapping · Alberta Guide to Trapping Regulations 2026-2027
- Manitoba — trapping · Trapping of Wild Animals Regulation, M.R. 245/90, Schedule A
- Newfoundland and Labrador — hunting, trapping · 2026-27 Hunting and Trapping Guide
- Northwest Territories — trapping · NWT Summary of Hunting and Trapping Regulations, July 1 2022 - June 30 2023
- Nunavut — hunting · Summary of the Nunavut Hunting Regulations 2021-2022
- Ontario — hunting, trapping · Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary — Small game and furbearing mammals
- Québec — trapping · Périodes de piégeage
- Saskatchewan — trapping · 2026-27 Trappers Guide
- Alaska — hunting, trapping · 2026-2027 Alaska Hunting Regulations: Fur Animals, Small Game, Unclassified Game, and Deleterious Exotic Wildlife (pp.140-142)
Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.
Where it is found
Arctic tundra and northern coastal regions of North America
Sources
Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.
- BIOLOGICALRenard arctique
Gouvernement du Québec · reviewed 2026-09-20
Gouvernement du Québec
- BIOLOGICALVulpes lagopus (arctic fox)
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
- BIOLOGICALArctic Fox Species Profile
Alaska Department of Fish and Game · reviewed 2026-09-30
Alaska Department of Fish and Game