If you saw an Arctic fox in the summer, it would look very different than it does in the winter. That’s because the Arctic fox is a master of camouflage. In the winter, its thick coat is a brilliant white, but in the summer it thins out and turns a dusty gray-brown to help blend in with the surrounding Arctic tundra. What do these gorgeous foxes eat? Small rodents, birds and fish. Although Arctic foxes are still abundant in the Canadian Arctic, their populations have been decreasing from the southern edge of the tundra around the globe. Time to lend a hand!

Nothing like updating your wardrobe each season!

Fox Facts

Arctic fox pups are born in dens, some of which have been used by foxes for hundreds of years. When the babies arrive, Arctic fox moms have their paws full – the average litter size is eleven pups (which is the largest average litter size in the world for a wild mammal)! Arctic fox parents help to feed their little ones so they grow strong and healthy, but even fully grown, they’re not huge animals. Adult Arctic foxes aren’t much bigger than a house cat!

They need our help!

Climate change is making it harder for Arctic fox populations to survive. Not only are they losing their habitat, they are also becoming more exposed to another tiny threat with big consequences: insects! Warming temperatures can make it easier for insects to spread the harmful viruses, bacteria, and parasites that they may carry – and this can mean big trouble for animals like the Arctic fox, with insect-borne diseases threatening their ability to survive and reproduce.

Earth Rangers is working with University of Saskatchewan researcher Kayla Buhler on a project that will help us learn more about how climate change is affecting the spread of insect-borne diseases amongst Arctic foxes. Are they catching them from their migratory bird prey, whose populations are getting bigger as they have more food available in a warming Arctic? Are insects like mosquitoes and fleas simply better able to spread disease thanks to warming temperatures? And just how much of the Arctic fox population is affected by insect-borne diseases? By sampling fox dens and testing pups, we can try to answer some of these questions and do our best to protect Arctic foxes for years to come!

Head to the Adoptions Section in the Earth Rangers App or visit the Earth Rangers Shop to get your Adoption Kit and help make a difference today!

They might look like unicorns, but did you know the narwhal is actually a member of the same family as the beluga whale? Similar in size and shape, belugas and narwhals are easy to tell apart thanks to one important feature: their teeth! …wait, what?

That’s right! The narwhal’s tusk is actually a tooth that grows through its upper lip, getting bigger throughout its lifetime. In fact, the tusk can get as big as 3 metres!

Calling all narwhals: can you hear me?!

Like belugas and other underwater animals, narwhals communicate using echolocation. Through a series of clicks and whistles, they can identify objects in their path and also keep tabs on their podmates. Traveling in groups of 10-100, this communication is super important, especially considering narwhals are migratory – the trip from their shallow, ice-free summer waters to deeper, more offshore locations each winter would be pretty long and challenging with no communication!

They need our help!

Tallurutiup Imanga, a National Marine Conservation Area in Nunavut, is an important summering ground for narwhals, but an increase in nearby shipping traffic may be threatening their ability to survive. Narwhals rely on sound to communicate, forage, and detect predators, but shipping traffic can mask their important vocalizations. Because of its harsh climate and remote location, it’s hard to study the narwhal population that relies on Tallurutiup Imanga, so traditional knowledge from Inuit communities that rely on these narwhals is really important.

Earth Rangers is working with University of Manitoba researcher Leah Pengelly on a project that will help us learn more about just how narwhals might be affected by increased shipping traffic in the north. By combining underwater soundscape studies with traditional Inuit knowledge, we can build a much better picture of the health of the marine ecosystem narwhals call home, helping protect it for years to come!

Head to the Adoptions Section in the Earth Rangers App or visit the Earth Rangers Shop to get your Adoption Kit and help make a difference today!

Besides being super cute, ringed seals are also super awesome – and super uncommon! Since you might not know a ton about our newest Wildlife Adoptions animal, here’s some fast facts to get you up to speed!

1. Ringed Seals live in the Arctic, and spend lots of time swimming in the frigid waters (they can dive for up to 45 minutes at a time!). They don’t mind the chill because they have a thick layer of blubber to keep them warm.

2. Ringed Seals carve out snow dens to protect themselves from predators. Each den is built with a hole in the ice so they can grab a quick snack from the water below!

 3. Ringed Seals give birth to their babies (called pups) in special lairs on the ice. Arctic ice is super important because it allows the babies to be protected from predators like polar bears.

4. Ringed Seal pups are adorable – they have a fluffy white coat of fur!

5. These seals enjoy cod – it’s what most of their diet is made of – but they’ll also eat other Arctic fish and shellfish, which they find in the Arctic’s underwater kelp forests.

6. They need our help!

Underwater kelp forests provide marine mammals like the ringed seal with the food they need to survive, but they also help slow down climate change by storing carbon, and even act as nurseries for fish and other underwater animals! They’re a really important piece of the Arctic biodiversity puzzle, which is why it’s so important to learn as much as we can about these incredible ecosystems – and how they might be affected by climate change – as we can.

Earth Rangers is working with Laval University researcher Camille Lavoie on a project that will help us learn more about the amazing biodiversity of the Arctic’s kelp forests. By surveying the plants and animals found in kelp forests and learning more about just how these ecosystems support such high biodiversity, we can help protect this important habitat and the animals that rely on it for years to come!

Head to the Adoptions Section in the Earth Rangers App or visit the Earth Rangers Shop to get your Adoption Kit and help make a difference today!