“I like the rituals. My parents are divorced too. My mom’s polish. She visits on the same day. December 9th. Every year, we sit and watch Rudolph, the red nosed reindeer. Together. Every year”.
Found in arctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America, the Arctic Fox’s appearance varies dramatically between seasons: during the winter and spring it develops a coat of thick white fur which provides insulation and aids it in camouflaging against snow, but when the snow melts during the summer it molts into a thinner brownish-grey coat that helps it to camouflage against grass, soil and rocks (the image above, taken by an iNaturalist user in Svalbard, shows two individuals with different coats during the transition between seasons in the early summer.) Adaptable and omnivorous, this species feeds on berries, seaweed and a range of smaller animals (particularly rodents, although fish, birds, young Ringed Seal pups, carrion and dung left by larger animals such as Polar Bears may also be taken) and typically lives in pairs or small family groups. During the late spring and early summer Arctic Foxes breed and construct expansive burrows in which to raise their young, after which they produce a litter of 7-15 young (known as kits), which are born with a thin coat of dark fur resembling the summer coats of adults and reach maturity at around 9-10 months of age. As winter approaches members of this species build up thick layers of body fat to provide them with insulation, and may increase their weight by over 50% between autumn and winter.