Video Of The Week — Adorable Arctic Fox Pups Attack Hidden Camera

Wildlife filmmakers know to expect the unexpected when observing animals in their natural habitat. For a PBS Nature film crew trying to stealthily capture footage of Arctic foxes in the Arctic Tundra, that meant losing a hidden camera to the curious animals.

In the recently released clip from the network’s new series called “Fox Tales”, the filmmakers seem to be having great success in observing the hardy animals. That is, until a fox pup discovers a hidden motion-sensor camera, and decides to attack it. The curious mammal is soon joined by the rest of the litter which take turns tapping the screen until the camera is destroyed.

The filmmakers believe the pups were probably not afraid to take on the “alien” object because they encounter very few predators in their natural habitat. Living in large groups could also give them a sense of security to take on the unknown without fear of repercussions. Regardless of the reason, the video footage provides a rare close-up look at the endangered animals that can be found throughout the Arctic Tundra from Canada to Alaska, Greenland, and even Iceland, where they are the only native land animals.

Also called snow foxes, the animals are smaller than their red cousins, an adaptation that helps reduce body heat loss and enables them to survive in the cold weather. Their dense coats not only keep them warm in temperatures as low as -50 degrees Celsius (-58°F) but also change color from white to brown, providing the animals with the perfect camouflage during both winter and summer.

Resources: wikipedia.org, earthtouchnew.com