Housed in a renovated farmstead, Arctic Fox Center (melrakki.is, adult/child 1500kr/free) tells the story of Iceland's only endemic mammal. Arctic Foxes are believed to have arrived during the last ice age, around 10,000 years ago, probably by walking across the frozen sea. They survived by eating birds, eggs and carrion, plus fish, and berries when they were available. The museum recounts how fox hunting became part of life in Iceland when humans settled and began farming. The foxes were hunted to protect sheep and other farm animals until the 1950s.
In the early 20th century farmers could be paid three times the price of a cow for a fox's pelt. In the museum are stuffed foxes, equipment for finding and hunting foxes and many facts about foxes (they don't shiver until -70°C and have 20,000 hairs per square centimetre). The Arctic fox population is now stable with roughly 10,000 living in the wild. Fox hunting is now banned in 26 protected areas in Iceland, including Hornstrandir and the Highlands. The museum cares for orphaned foxes, which can be seen up close in an enclosure outside.
The on-site cafe is a great place to hang with welcoming locals – try the daily soup, which comes with homemade bread.
