Molting Arctic Fox

The fox is shedding its thick white winter fur to expose its brown summer coat.

British photographer Kevin Morgans, who took the photo one June while exploring Norway's remote Svalbard archipelago, spotted a lump in the distance and was unsure at first whether it was a rock or an animal.

Approaching slowly, he soon realized it was a sleeping Arctic fox — the first he had ever seen.

Crawling closer, Morgans waited with his camera until the animal began to stir.

"First one eye opened, then the other," he recalls.

Then their eyes met (above).

Soon it yawned widely (below),

then stood to stretch (top). 

"To my good fortune," said Morgans, "as it stretched, a gust of wind came through, blowing the fur all over the place."

The whimsical image earned Morgans wide acclaim.

"I owe this fox so much," he said.

[via National Wildlife Federation]