Arctic foxes are white in winter and can remain white through summer of may become gray in color after the winter coat is shed. Arctic foxes hunt lemmings, and other small rodents when available and will also eat birds, dead fish and sea mammals that wash ashore, among other things they manage to scavenge. In fact the balance between lemming population and arctic fox population is well documented. The arctic fox will reach its peak population one to two years after the lemming population peaks. Arctic foxes may also spend a portion of the winter following a polar bear over frozen seas feeding off the scraps of the bears captured meals.
Arctic foxes make dens in rock piles, low spots in the tundra, or in debris piles.
Arctic foxes can have litters of 1-14 kits. Due to the harsh environment many pups do not survive. Although not particularly shy to humans, the arctic fox is protected by the harshness of its environment. It has many natural enemies however, wolves, wolverines, and snow owls are a few.