Adorable arctic fox curls up to protect himself from bitterly cold blizzard... but he soon gets his energy back

This adorable arctic fox curled up into a tiny ball to shelter from a bitterly cold snow blizzard.

The adult male knew exactly what to do to protect himself from the freezing winds howling across the immaculately white terrain.

He found a spot to hide behind a rock, made himself as small as possible and wrapped his thick tail around him for maximum warmth.

Complete camouflage: The arctic fox curls up into a ball to protect himself from the snow and wind

Wildlife photographer Jules Cox, 42, described seeing the exquisite mammals in the wild as one of his best wildlife encounters to date.

He and a group of friends hired a jeep to explore the tundra wilderness of Churchill, Canada, on a ten-day trip.

 

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Mr Cox said: ‘We spotted the sleeping fox in some particularly extreme weather conditions.

‘There was a snow blizzard, high winds and low visibility. At times like these the foxes will shelter behind a rock on a snow ridge for maximum protection, and that's exactly what he had done.

What does the fox say? When the wind had calmed, the male adult was ready for new adventures in Churchill, Canada

Doing a runner: The fix was spotted running over the tundra in the hunt for fun and food

‘He knew to get out of the wind and basically use that wonderful luxurious tail as a barrier against the cold.’

Mr Cox, from Bermondsey, London, had photographed arctic foxes in captivity before but never in the wild so was delighted to see them up close.

Mr Cox said: ‘Arctic foxes are the holy grail for many wildlife photographers because they are normally shy and elusive.’

‘They're usually quite scarce but every few years, an abundance of prey boosts their numbers.

‘Luckily thanks to a boom in the lemming population, they have had a good breeding year and we found over 20 of these beautiful foxes over the course of the trip.'

No fear: Arctic foxes are normally shy and hard top capture, but Jules Fox managed to see more than one on his trip

The species, also known as polar fox or snow fox, is well equipped with dealing with the cold

‘At times they were only a few metres away from us, even running around our feet.

‘It was a magical experience - probably at the top of my list of special photography moments.

‘I never could have dreamt we would have had such an amazing opportunity.’

The arctic fox, also known as snow fox or polar fox, is well equipped to deal with the freezing temperatures thanks to its thick fur and high level of body fat compared to other types of foxes.

As the snow melts in the spring, the fox sheds it's white coat for a brown one, in order to help in camouflage itself from its enemies and help it sneak up on its prey unnoticed.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2537126/Adorable-arctic-fox-curls-protect-bitterly-cold-blizzard-soon-gets-energy-back.html#ixzz2q7Sb6ysL
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