What is Iceland's only native land mammal?

Iceland’s only native land mammal is the Arctic fox.

The species, Vulpes lagopus, reached Iceland near the end of the last ice age, apparently walking across sea ice when the island was connected to or reachable from mainland Arctic regions. Its presence predates human settlement, making it distinct from Iceland’s later-introduced mammals.

Reindeer, brown rats, mice, mink, rabbits, and domestic livestock were brought by people or arrived after settlement. Polar bears occasionally drift to Iceland from Greenland, but they do not form a native breeding population. Seals are native marine mammals, not land mammals.

The Arctic fox survives in Iceland’s harsh volcanic and tundra landscapes. It changes coat colour seasonally, eats birds, eggs, fish, carrion, and small mammals, and is adapted to cold with dense fur and a compact body. Icelandic foxes are also genetically distinctive because the island population has been isolated for thousands of years.