Nature truly amazes me! Many times I ask, “What was the first individual who thought it would be a good idea too …” like in this instance, molt all my brown summer fur and turn all white for winter? It would be nice, really nice if I could say, molt all my grey hair and go back to brown hair but such is not the case. The Arctic Fox is just one of many small mammals that literally sheds one color coat for another twice a year. Some birds like Ptmarigan do this too and for them it’s a simple strategy to keep from being eaten but there is nothing that is out to eat an Arctic Fox. Why then do they switch?
Living in an environment that is 24/7 dark for forty days and with temps well below zero, keeping a dark coat to absorb heat from the sun doesn’t work. You only get a hint of why they turn white and develop that thick coat when you watch them move about. They often shadow the Polar Bears like this white individual here was doing. And while they are a shadow, they are very hard to see as they blend in with their world so bloody well. When they are on the prowl to catch prey, if they still wore their summer grey coat against the white snow, their prey would easily see them. Turn white and they blend in, blend in so incredibly well they can more easily sneak up on their prey. So after watching this behavior for days and day, you just gotta scratch your head and wonder, who was the first individual who decided turning white would be beneficial and then indeed, turned white and made the switch to winter.