Tanja Askani in the snow with her arctic dogs Nanuk and Noran.
Arctic wolves have white fur all year, allowing them to blend in with their icy environment. Their coat is long and silky, with thick, soft underfur.
In the spring, this is shed, and the coat gets shorter and less thick. It has a bushy tail and long legs, giving it a lanky look. With non-retractable claws, the feet are huge and dignified.
The front feet have five toes, whereas the back feet have four. The face and ears are highly developed, and the head is large. The ears are somewhat rounded, and the face is less pointed than in other wolf species.
This wolf is a subspecies of the gray wolf (Canis lupus). The year-round white coats and slightly shorter ears and noses distinguish them from the other subspecies of Canis lupus.
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