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Community Corner

Two Arctic Fox Pups at the Aquarium of the Pacific

They were ready for their close-up Thursday at Long Beach's downtown attraction.

Two 6-week old Arctic fox brothers are currently quarantined at the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Molina Animal Care Center and are expected to be there for about 30-60 days, it was announced Thursday.

 From there, the pups will be trained and featured at the new exhibition titled, “Arctic & Antarctic: Our Polar Regions in Peril,” which highlights the safety measures individuals can take to protect our animals--including vital information about climate change and the types of animals in the polar regions.

The two brothers at the center currently have no names. One has blue and brown eyes while the other has two brown eyes. The pups will go through extensive training in order to become well-versed as program animals.

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Arctic foxes can adapt to the harshest environmental conditions and have exceptional hearing abilities. Their fur coat changes colors depending on the season. During the wintertime, the color changes to white in order to protect themselves from predators.   Remarkably, females can have up to 25 pups at a time.

Senior Mammal Biologist Michele Sousa enjoys taking care of the pups and says, “They keep you on your toes. Right now, they look cute and cuddly, but everyone who works here definitely have little cuts on their hands.”

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