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Iceland: one polar fox and many sheep

Last updated on December 16, 2016 By Claire, the Travel Planning Geek

What will you see the most in Iceland: sheep and horses! And they are alwys so cute that you will want to stop and photograph them all the time. Rarer is an encounter with a polar fox, but I had a chance to see one. Attention in the post, extremely cute animals, be prepared!

Photos and information Polar Fox - Iceland

Navigate back to the complete Iceland Travel Guide


 INFORMATION - POLAR FOX & ICELANDIC SHEEP

As I went to Iceland in September, it was not the best season to observe whales or penguins but I still managed to enjoy the local animal life: horses and sheep. Plus I had the chance to photograph a polar fox. Here are some information about them

INFORMATION - POLAR FOX & ICELANDIC SHEEP

Polar Fox

  • The only native terrestrial mammal in Iceland
  • Descendants of the ice age
  • The arctic foxes are found in two colours:
  • "white": completely white in winter but bi-coloured in summer, brown on the back and white on the belly.
  • "blue": dark brown all year round
  • Highest densitiy in the West fjords
  • More information on the Arctic Fox Centre website

Icelandic Sheep

  • Icelandic breed: short tail, mid-size, short-legg
  • Face and legs are free of wool
  • Descendants from the same stock as a Norwegian breed, they were brought to Iceland by the Vikings
  • Efficient herbivores
  • More information on this webpage about the Icelandic Sheep breed

Catching a glimpse of a polar fox

On the road towards Thorsmork, my Super Jeep driver and I started discussing what I had done so far in Iceland and what more I wanted to see./ We started talking animals and I asked question about polar fox. Lucky for me, he knew a place where a polar fox live around, not a pet but not fully wild. The Vatnsholt Farm is located 16 km (10 mi) from the own of Selfos and 10km South of the Urridafoss waterfall . I arrived before a filming crew which also came for the fox. Lucky me.
The fox was quite fast moving around but I got few good shots. And I saw it steal an egg and go play with it.
This is a white type fox. If you want to see a picture of one totally white, check out this Arctic Fox dedicated page

polar fox Iceland photo 1
polar fox Iceland photo 2
polar fox Iceland photo 3
polar fox Iceland photo 4
polar fox Iceland photo 5
polar fox Iceland photo 6
polar fox Iceland photo 7

Sheep: Mostly white but sometimes black

And now let's talk sheep. Most of them were white but sometimes I could spot a black one running with its friends.

White and black Icelandic sheep

Sheep: The danger

Sheep are everywhere! Late September they gather them but before that they roam mostly freely. Below are some shots were you can see what I mean by everywhere: next to road ready to jump, under the signs or on the road! Drive carefully (check out my post about driving in Iceland)

Sheep road danger in Iceland photo 1
Sheep road danger in Iceland photo 2
Sheep road danger in Iceland photo 3

Sheep in different Icelandic landscapes

When I say everywhere, I mean it, although I did not see any on top of the huge volcanic Hverfjall crater 🙂
I saw them in farming area (logical), in desertic area (yes, yes, there was almost no grass...), near a lake, in the middle of the central highlands.

Sheep near Landmannalaugar Iceland

Near Landmannalaugar, Central Highlands

Sheep near the Myvatn pseudo-craters Iceland

Near the pseudo-craters, Lake Myvatn


Enjoying different types of fields

Sheep everywhere in Iceland photo 1
Sheep everywhere in Iceland photo 2
Sheep everywhere in Iceland photo 3
Sheep everywhere in Iceland photo 4

Want to see more of Iceland's beauty?

Discover more things to do and places to see in Iceland in my online Iceland Destination Guide.

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Aren't they all  cute?

Iceland one fox and many sheep

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Hi! I’m Claire

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I am the Travel Planning Geek behind the ZigZag Travel Guides. My goal is to provide you with clear and practical information to help you plan unforgettable trips! Read more

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