Lexile: a scale that estimates reading difficulty. Higher numbers usually mean more complex vocabulary and sentence structure.
| Level in this activity | What it means |
|---|---|
| 700L | More accessible: shorter sentences and more common vocabulary. |
| 850L | More challenging: more detail and academic vocabulary. |
The Arctic fox is a small fox that lives in very cold Arctic places. It grows to a little less than three feet long. In summer, its fur is brown. In winter, its fur turns white. Most adult Arctic foxes weigh about six pounds, although some weigh much more. Their thick fur helps protect them from freezing weather and blowing snow.
Arctic foxes are good survivors because they can eat many different things. They eat insects, birds, eggs, berries, seaweed, and small mammals. Their most common food is the lemming, a small animal that looks a little like a mouse. When there are fewer lemmings, there are often fewer Arctic foxes too. If food is hard to find, Arctic foxes become scavengers and eat what they can find. Sometimes polar bears hunt Arctic foxes.
Female Arctic foxes are called vixens. In spring, a vixen can have many baby foxes, called kits. Some litters can be very large, but most have between five and eight kits. Both parents help care for the young.
Arctic foxes are still common in much of the Arctic. But they are rare in Norway, Sweden, and Finland because people hunted them too much in the past. Today, red foxes moving into Arctic fox territory also threaten them.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?
2. What color is an Arctic fox in winter?
3. What food do Arctic foxes eat most often?
4. What may happen when there are fewer lemmings?
5. What does a fox do when food is scarce?
6. What are baby Arctic foxes called?
7. How many kits are in most litters?
8. Where are Arctic foxes rare today?
9. What is one threat to Arctic foxes today?
10. Which statement is true?