The Arctic fox is the only land mammal native to Iceland. People sometimes refer to it as the "snow fox" or the "polar fox" in some places. It is a carnivore (an organism that eats other animals) that eats whatever it can find, living or dead. Many tourists come to Iceland to see the Arctic fox because the population of foxes is large enough to give people a good chance of seeing one.
The Arctic fox has short legs, a short snout and short ears, which all help the animal conserve body heat. The Arctic fox’s coat changes color to help it blend into the landscape. In many places across the Arctic, these foxes have a white coat in the winter. However, in Iceland, only a third of the foxes have a white winter coat. Others instead keep a darker coat, which helps the foxes blend into the rocky landscape. The "blue morph" Arctic fox, found in the Westfjords of Iceland, where I live, is my favorite of all the foxes. The term "blue morph" refers to the bluish-gray coat of these fancy foxes!
