Arctic Fox(Vulpes lagopus)
The Arctic fox is a small fox well adapted to living in cold environments of Arctic regions. It has a deep thick fur which is white in winter and brown in summer. The Arctic fox can stay warm in winter not just because of its thick coat but because of its generally rounded body shape with short legs, bushy tail, small rounded ears and short muzzle.
Besides the nominate subspecies, the common Arctic fox, four other subspecies of this fox have been described:
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Bering Islands Arctic fox
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Greenland Arctic fox
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Iceland Arctic fox
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Pribilof Islands Arctic fox
Habitat
The Arctic fox lives in Arctic and Subarctic regions of Russia, Europe and North America. It lives in the circumpolar Arctic, which stretches from the top of Ellesmere Island to the bottom of James Bay in Canada. It is mostly found on tundra and pack ice, but it also lives in boreal forests in the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska and in Canada.
Diet
Arctic foxes generally eat any small animal they can find, including lemmings, voles, other rodents, hares, birds, eggs, fish, and carrion. They scavenge on carcasses left by larger predators such as wolves and polar bears, and in times of scarcity also eat their feces. In areas where they are present, lemmings are their most common prey, and a family of foxes can eat dozens of lemmings each day. In some locations in northern Canada, a high seasonal abundance of migrating birds that breed in the area may provide an important food source. On the coast of Iceland and other islands, their diet consists predominantly of birds. During April and May, the Arctic fox also preys on ringed seal pups when the young animals are confined to a snow den and are relatively helpless. They also consume berries and seaweed, so they may be considered omnivores. This fox is a significant bird-egg predator, consuming eggs of all except the largest tundra bird species. When food is overabundant, the Arctic fox buries (caches) the surplus as a reserve.
Breeding
Arctic foxes tend to form monogamous pairs in the breeding season and maintain a territory around the den. Breeding is usually in April and May, with a gestation period of about 52 days. Between 6 and 19 cubs are born. They drink milk until they are able to eat solid food, starting to eat after 6 weeks. They leave the den when they are 14-15 weeks old. They are usually dependent on their parents from summer to autumn. Both male and female parents take care of the cubs, with the female raising the young while the male hunts for food. At one year old they are sexually mature. Litters may contain as many as 25.
Population
The world population of Arctic Foxes is in the order of several hundred thousand animals. Most populations fluctuate widely in numbers between years in response to varying lemming numbers. In most areas, however, population status is believed to be good. The species is common in the tundra areas of Russia, Canada, coastal Alaska, Greenland and Iceland. Exceptions are Fennoscandia, islands in the Bering Sea (Mednyi Island, Russia; Pribilof Islands, Alaska, e.g., St Paul), where populations are at critically low levels and appear to be declining further. On some Aleutian Islands, Alaska, non-native Arctic Foxes are being eradicated in the course of bird conservation efforts. Vagrant Arctic Foxes are common over the northern sea-ice where can move several thousands of kilometres following Polar Bears as scavengers.
Threats
Hunting for fur has long been a major mortality factor for the Arctic Fox. With the decline of the fur hunting industry, the threat of over-exploitation is lowered for most Arctic Fox populations. They may also be subject to direct persecution (as on St. Paul Island). Misinformation as to the origin of Arctic Foxes on the Pribilofs continues to foster negative attitudes and the long-term persistence of this endemic subspecies is in jeopardy. In areas connected to marine ecosystems, Arctic Foxes may also be affected by indirect threats, such as diseases and the effects of persistent organic pollutants; indeed, an emerging threat in Fennoscandia is the impact of sarcoptic mange on populations. In some areas, gene swamping by farm-bred blue foxes may threaten native populations
Conservation
The species is not included in the CITES Appendices. In most of its range, the Arctic Fox is not protected. However, the species and its dens have had total legal protection in Sweden since 1928, in mainland Norway since 1930, and in Finland since 1940. In Europe, the Arctic Fox is a priority species under the Actions by the Community relating to the Environment (ACE). It is therefore to be given full protection. On St. Paul Island the declining Arctic Fox population currently has no legal protection. In Norway (Svalbard), Greenland, Canada, Russia, and Alaska, trapping is limited to licensed trappers operating in a defined trapping season. The enforcement of these laws appears to be uniformly good. In Iceland, bounty hunting takes place over most of the country outside nature reserves. For occurrence in protected areas, good information is available only for Sweden and Finland. For Iceland, Arctic Foxes could potentially appear in most protected areas. An action plan has been developed for Arctic Foxes in Sweden and status reports have been published for Norway and Finland. In Sweden, Norway and Finland, a conservation project led to significant increases in the population. The Arctic Fox occurs widely in captivity on fur farms and has been bred for fur production for over 70 years. The present captive population originates from a number of wild populations and has been bred for characteristics different from those found in the wild, including large size. Escaped "blue" foxes may already be a problem in Fennoscandia (and to a lesser extent in Iceland) due to gene swamping. In Norway, foxes bred in captivity have successfully been released into the wild.
The following gaps still exist in knowledge of the Arctic Fox:
1) Little is known concerning the impact of diseases on fox populations, e.g. sarcoptic mange and Echinococcus multilocularis. Allied to this is our lack of knowledge of the epidemiology of Arctic rabies.
2) Considering the northward spread of the Red Fox in certain areas, studies are necessary to determine the effects of competition between Red Foxes and Arctic Foxes on various population parameters and Arctic Fox life-history patterns.
3) The non-recovery of the Fennoscandian population is a cause for concern, and requires specific attention, especially in terms of disease and genetics.