Arctic foxes under threat

Arctic foxes could struggle as the ice continues to disappear, scientists have discovered, because they rely on the frozen seas to survive bleak northern winters Photograph: Paul Nicklen/Getty

Researchers tracked the movements of 14 young foxes during their first Arctic winter in northern Alaska, where the temperature plunges to -30C amid 24-hour darkness Photograph: Paul Nicklen/Getty

Arctic foxes are found on the smallest and most remote islands north of Canada and Greenland, where there are no other land mammals, except polar bears Photograph: Eberhard Hummel/Corbis

Scientists say taking to the ice could help foxes survive because there are fewer predators and food is easier to find than on land Photograph: Corbis

Sea ice in the Arctic – formed from frozen sea water – has shrunk dramatically in recent years and could reach a new record this low this summer Photograph: Michael DeYoung/Corbis

Arctic fox near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. In winter, the arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) is white, but in the summer its coat becomes thinner and changes to a brown and yellow colour Photograph: Joel Sartore/Getty

St. Paul Island, Pribilof Islands, Alaska. The Arctic fox is omnivorous. Its diet consists of muskrats, squirrels, hares, birds, eggs, carrion and voles – which seem to be its preferred food Photograph: Joel Sartore/Getty

Manitoba, Canada. Polar bears occasionally kill unwary foxes. In the pack ice of the far north the Arctic fox follows the polar bear to feed on leftovers from their kills Photograph: Paul Nicklen/Getty