Arctic Tundra – Arctic Fox (Alopex Lagopus)
Classification
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Class - Mammalia
Order - Carnivora
Family - Canidae
Genus - Alopex
Species - Lagopus
During the summer the artic fox is a dark grey to bluish brown in the summer, in the winter it changes its fur to a creamy white colour. The artic fox has a long bushy tail, a short nose and small ears which curl back. It also has short legs which are stubby and thick hair. Its short legs and nose, thick fur and small ears are all adaptations which help the artic fox to survive in cold climates. Because the artic foxes legs are so small and the ears and nose and so small it means that the body parts are less exposed to the cold. The artic fox has thick fur and padded feet with hair on them which help to keep the fox warm in the freezing conditions which it inhibits. The fur on the paws of the artic fox also gives the fox traction so that they do not slide around on the ice making them able to travel around their environment. When the fox is cold then it will protect its nose by wrapping its bushy tail around its face to keep the cold out. The artic fox is around three feet long weighing only a very small amount, the males are larger than the females. In the summer the artic fox lives in the tundra on the edge of the forest, in the winter it is usually found in the ice floes, here the foxes white winter fur serves as camouflage. Artic foxes will often make a den where they will burrow into a hillside or a bank, they will have more than one entrance and exit, in the winter these are often found in snow banks. The artic fox is nomadic. The dense and woolly coats of these foxes have some of the best insulative properties out of all the mammals in the world. They also have an increased blood flow to their feet, this is what prevents them from freezing.
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Class - Mammalia
Order - Carnivora
Family - Canidae
Genus - Alopex
Species - Lagopus
During the summer the artic fox is a dark grey to bluish brown in the summer, in the winter it changes its fur to a creamy white colour. The artic fox has a long bushy tail, a short nose and small ears which curl back. It also has short legs which are stubby and thick hair. Its short legs and nose, thick fur and small ears are all adaptations which help the artic fox to survive in cold climates. Because the artic foxes legs are so small and the ears and nose and so small it means that the body parts are less exposed to the cold. The artic fox has thick fur and padded feet with hair on them which help to keep the fox warm in the freezing conditions which it inhibits. The fur on the paws of the artic fox also gives the fox traction so that they do not slide around on the ice making them able to travel around their environment. When the fox is cold then it will protect its nose by wrapping its bushy tail around its face to keep the cold out. The artic fox is around three feet long weighing only a very small amount, the males are larger than the females. In the summer the artic fox lives in the tundra on the edge of the forest, in the winter it is usually found in the ice floes, here the foxes white winter fur serves as camouflage. Artic foxes will often make a den where they will burrow into a hillside or a bank, they will have more than one entrance and exit, in the winter these are often found in snow banks. The artic fox is nomadic. The dense and woolly coats of these foxes have some of the best insulative properties out of all the mammals in the world. They also have an increased blood flow to their feet, this is what prevents them from freezing.
For the artic fox to live successfully they need to adapt to the harsh, extreme conditions where temperatures can plummet down, to do this their surface area must be minimized to reduce exposure to the cold.
The circulatory system of the artic fox is a countercurrent heat exchange in the paws, this is the arteries and the veins next to one another which helps them to retain their core temperature, in the cold weathers they also keep a good supply of body fat. This is a key adaptation for an animal living in such cold conditions.
The artic fox also has quite an active reproductive system, they are active from September to May and can have litters at any point in these months. The litters which they produce are generally between 5 and 8, quite a large litter but they can reach up to 25. Although not many of these pups survive the large amount of pups which they give birth to gives them more chance of successfully producing offspring as it means at least one is likely to survive. Both the mother and the father will help to bring the pups up which do survive.
The coat of the artic fox is such an effective adaptation which consists of a dense undercoat of guard hairs, these can be many centimetres thick. The artic foxes critical temperature is around -40 meaning that they do not need to increase their metabolic rate.
All of these adaptations allows the Alopex lagopus to survive in freezing and testing conditions, they are adapted perfectly for harsh blizzards, cold winters and survival.
To watch a video about the Artic Fox go to:http://kids.sandiegozoo.org/animals/mammals/arctic-fox
Below is an example of countercurrent heat exchange, a system which is present in the Artic Fox.
The circulatory system of the artic fox is a countercurrent heat exchange in the paws, this is the arteries and the veins next to one another which helps them to retain their core temperature, in the cold weathers they also keep a good supply of body fat. This is a key adaptation for an animal living in such cold conditions.
The artic fox also has quite an active reproductive system, they are active from September to May and can have litters at any point in these months. The litters which they produce are generally between 5 and 8, quite a large litter but they can reach up to 25. Although not many of these pups survive the large amount of pups which they give birth to gives them more chance of successfully producing offspring as it means at least one is likely to survive. Both the mother and the father will help to bring the pups up which do survive.
The coat of the artic fox is such an effective adaptation which consists of a dense undercoat of guard hairs, these can be many centimetres thick. The artic foxes critical temperature is around -40 meaning that they do not need to increase their metabolic rate.
All of these adaptations allows the Alopex lagopus to survive in freezing and testing conditions, they are adapted perfectly for harsh blizzards, cold winters and survival.
To watch a video about the Artic Fox go to:http://kids.sandiegozoo.org/animals/mammals/arctic-fox
Below is an example of countercurrent heat exchange, a system which is present in the Artic Fox.