Arctic Fox Centre

Research centre and exhibition in Súðavík dedicated to the only native Icelandic mammal

The Arctic Fox Centre in Súðavík is a combination research institute, exhibition, and small zoo where two resident foxes — white in winter, brown in summer — can be seen year-round. The exhibition covers the biology and ecology of the arctic fox, its history in Iceland, and the ongoing research the Centre conducts. It is genuinely informative and well-produced, making it one of the better small museums in Iceland.

The real draw is the live foxes in the enclosure, but wild foxes are also regularly spotted around Súðavík and nearby villages. In the Westfjords, where the population is dense and the foxes have had relatively little contact with hunters, they are often visible in daylight hours and less shy than foxes further east. The Centre is 25 kilometres from Ísafjörður and easy to combine with other stops in the area.

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A story
The arctic fox reached Iceland at the end of the last Ice Age by walking across the sea ice from Greenland or Scandinavia — it is the only land mammal that arrived in Iceland without human assistance. When the Norse settlers arrived, foxes were widespread. By the 20th century, intensive trapping had reduced the population to critical levels. The Westfjords now hold around 40 percent of Iceland's arctic fox population, and the Centre has been central to monitoring and protecting them.