A lucky photographer was able to capture the adorable moment a Canadian Arctic fox cub woke from a nap and let out a superbly cute yawn.
The young canine was enjoying an opportunity to nap in the warm sunshine as it glistened off the arctic snow when trial lawyer John Rollins, 58, saw the golden opportunity.
Close to a fishing cabin in Arviat, Nunavut, Mr Rollins managed to picture the fox as it woke up from its tightly curled bundle of charm.
‘This fox was just very comfortable with my presence so it did not see a need to get up from his resting place,’ the photographer said.
‘I was out on the ice by myself and had decided that I was only going to shoot with a wide angle lens that day.
Lucky photographer John Rollins, 58, spotted this gorgeous Arctic fox cup waking up from a nap Close to a fishing cabin in Arviat, northeast Canada
The trial lawyer said: ‘I saw this fox resting on the ice and decided to see if I could get close to him without disturbing him. When he spotted me, he gave this big yawn as if to say, “I trust you”‘
‘I saw this fox resting on the ice and decided to see if I could get close to him without disturbing him. When he spotted me, he gave this big yawn as if to say, “I trust you.”‘
Arctic foxes are the smallest member of the canine family – with eight subspecies – with average adult males roughly 55cm long and females at 52cm.
Combined with the heavenly white fur, that makes it a great spot, especially in its heat-conserving curled up pose with the head tucked into its tail.
Saying that, the animals will soon be shedding their white fur as spring intensifies, when they are replaced by a shorter, blue or brown summer coat.
Additionally, while they are hard to spot at this time of year amongst the snow, this is not because they are uncommon.
The animals will soon be shedding their white fur as spring intensifies, when they are replaced by a shorter, blue or brown summer coat (stock photo)
Arctic foxes are categorised as of ‘least concern’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and can be found throughout northern Canada, as well as throughout the rest of the Arctic Circle including in Alaska and Lapland.
In Canada and Alaska combined, there are an estimated 110,000 Arctic foxes, according to Foxtrail.
This is thanks to their hardiness and diverse diet, feeding in winter primarily off small rodents – which they dive through the snow to catch – and scraps left by polar bears and feasting on birds, eggs, squirrels and berries in summer.
Those in coastal areas also scavenge for dead fish and marine mammals which have washed up.