Arctic Fox 2208 224943894 2008-07-11T03:11:28Z UtherSRG 33145 Revert to revision 224467314 dated 2008-07-08 23:36:38 by TheGerm using [[:en:Wikipedia:Tools/Navigation_popups|popups]] {{Taxobox | name = Arctic Fox<ref name=msw3>{{MSW3 Wozencraft | pages = |id=14000873 }}</ref> | status = LC | status_system = iucn2.3 | status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{IUCN2007 | assessors = Angerbjörn, A., Hersteinsson , P. & Tannerfeldt, M. | year = 2004 | title = Alopex lagopus | id = 899 | downloaded = [[2008-04-23]]}}</ref> | trend = stable | image = Polarfuchs 1 2004-11-17.jpg | image_width = 200px | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] | classis = [[Mammal]]ia | ordo = [[Carnivora]] | familia = [[Canidae]] | genus = ''[[Vulpes]]'' | species = '''''V. lagopus''''' | binomial = ''Vulpes lagopus'' | binomial_authority = ([[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[Systema Naturae|1758]]) | range_map = Distribution arctic fox.jpg | range_map_width = 200px | range_map_caption = Arctic Fox range }} The '''Arctic Fox''' (''Vulpes lagopus''), also known as the '''White Fox''' or '''Snow Fox''', is a [[fox]]. It is a small fox native to cold [[Arctic]] regions of the [[Northern Hemisphere]] and is common in throughout the [[Tundra#Arctic tundra|Arctic tundra]] [[biome]]. Although it is often assigned to its own [[genus]] ''Alopex'', the definitive mammal taxonomy list places it in ''[[Vulpes]]'' with the majority of the other foxes.<ref name=msw3/> ==Adaptations== The Arctic Fox has evolved to live in the most frigid extremes on the planet.{{fact|date=June 2008}} Among its [[adaptation]]s for cold survival are its deep, thick fur, a system of [[Countercurrent exchange|countercurrent heat exchange]] in the circulation of paws to retain [[core temperature]], and a good supply of [[Adipose tissue|body fat]]. The fox has a low [[surface area to volume ratio]], as evidenced by its generally rounded body shape, short muzzle and legs, and short, thick ears. Since less of its surface area is exposed to the cold, less heat escapes the body. Its furry paws allow it to walk on ice in search of food. It is also able to walk on top of snow and listen for the movements of [[Predation|prey]] underneath. Its thick fur is the warmest of any [[mammal]].{{Fact|date=April 2008}} ==Reproductive system== The Arctic Fox tends to be active in early September to early May. The [[gestation period]] is 52 days. Litters tend to average 6-7 pups but may be as many as 11.<ref>[http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Vulpes_lagopus.html ADW: Vulpes lagopus: Information<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Both the mother and the father help to raise their young. The females leave the family and form their own groups and the males stay with the family. Foxes tend to form [[monogamy|monogamous]] pairs in the breeding season. Litters of between 4 and 11 kits are born in the early summer. The parents raise the young in a large [[Lair|den]]. Dens can be complex underground networks, housing many generations of foxes. Young from a previous year's litter may stay with the parents to help rear younger siblings.The cubs are brownish and as they get older they are white. ==Diet== The Arctic Fox will generally eat any meat it can find, including [[lemming]]s, [[Arctic Hare]], [[Herpetology|reptiles and amphibians]], [[Egg (food)|egg]]s, and [[carrion]]. Lemmings are the most common prey. A family of foxes can eat dozens of lemmings each day. 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. Fish beneath the ice are also part of its diet. When its normal prey is scarce, the Arctic Fox scavenges the leftovers of larger predators, such as the [[polar bear]], even though the bears' prey includes the Arctic Fox itself. ==Size== The length of the head and body is {{convert|55|cm|abbr=on|1}} in the male and {{convert|53|cm|abbr=on|1}} in the female. The tail is {{convert|31|cm|abbr=on|1}} long in the male and {{convert|30|cm|abbr=on|1}} long in the female. It is {{convert|25|-|30|cm|abbr=on|1}} high at the shoulder. Males weigh {{convert|3.8|kg|abbr=on|1}} (8.2&nbsp;lb) while females can weigh {{convert|6|to|12|lb|abbr=on|1}}. ==Subspecies== Besides the nominate, there are three [[subspecies]] of this fox: *Bering Islands Arctic Fox, ''[[Alopex lagopus beringensis]]'' *Iceland Arctic Fox, ''[[Alopex lagopus fuliginosus]]'' *Pribilof Islands Arctic Fox, ''[[Alopex lagopus pribilofensis]]'' [[Image:Fjellrev0003pho.jpg|thumb|right|Arctic fox at Svalbard, Norway. Photo: Per Harald Olsen]] [[Image:ArcticFoxesLyd.jpg|thumb|right|The Arctic fox's seasonal furs, summer (top) to winter (bottom)]] ==Population and Distribution== The Arctic Fox has a circumpolar range, meaning that it is found throughout the entire Arctic, including the outer edges of Greenland, [[Russia]], [[Canada]], [[Alaska]], and [[Svalbard]], as well as in [[Subarctic]] and [[Alpine climate|alpine]] areas, such as [[Iceland]] and mainland alpine [[Scandinavia]]. The conservation status of the species is good, except for the Scandinavian mainland population. It is acutely endangered there, despite decades of legal protection from hunting and persecution. The total population estimate in all of [[Norway]], [[Sweden]] and [[Finland]] is a mere 120 adult individuals. The Arctic Fox is the only native land mammal to Iceland. It came to the isolated [[Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic]] island at the end of the last [[ice age]], walking over the frozen sea. The abundance of the Arctic Fox species tends to fluctuate in a cycle along with the population of lemmings. Because the fox reproduces very quickly and often dies young, population levels are not seriously impacted by [[Animal trapping|trapping]]. The Arctic Fox has, nonetheless, been eradicated from many areas where humans are settled. The Arctic Fox is losing ground to the larger [[Red Fox]]. Historically, the [[Gray Wolf]] has kept Red Fox numbers down, but as the wolf has been hunted to near [[extinction]] in much of its former range, the Red Fox population has grown larger, and it has taken over the niche of [[Apex predator|top predator]]. In areas of northern [[Europe]] there are programs in place that allow hunting of the Red Fox in the Arctic Fox's previous range. As with many other game species, the best sources of historical and large scale population data are hunting bag records and questionnaires. There are several potential sources of error in such data collections.<ref name=G_and_E>{{cite book | author = Garrott and Eberhardt | year = 1987 | chapter = Arctic fox | editor = Novak, M. et al. (eds.) | title = Wild furbearer management and conservation in North America | pages = pp. 395-406}}</ref> In addition, numbers vary widely between years due to the large population fluctuations. However, the total population of the Arctic Fox must be in the order of several hundred thousand animals.<ref name=Tannerfeldt>{{cite book | author = Tannerfeldt, M. | year = 1997 | title = Population fluctuations and life history consequences in the Arctic fox. | publisher = Dissertation, Stockholm University | location = Stockholm, Sweden}}</ref> The world population is thus not endangered, but two Arctic Fox subpopulations are. One is on [[Medny Island]] ([[Commander Islands]], Russia), which was reduced by some 85-90%, to around 90 animals, as a result of mange caused by an ear tick introduced by dogs in the 1970s.<ref name=Goltsman>{{cite journal | author = Goltsman et al. | year = 1996 | title = The Mednyi Arctic foxes: treating a population imperilled by disease | journal = Oryx | volume = 30 | pages = 251–258}}</ref> The population is currently under treatment with antiparasitic drugs, but the result is still uncertain. The other threatened population is the one in [[Fennoscandia]] (Norway, Sweden, Finland and [[Kola Peninsula]]). This population decreased drastically around the start of the 20th century as a result of extreme fur prices which caused severe hunting also during population lows.<ref name=Lönnberg>{{cite book | author = Lönnberg, E. | year = 1927 | title = Fjällrävsstammen i Sverige 1926 | publisher = Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences | location = Uppsala, Sweden}}</ref> The population has remained at a low density for more than 90 years, with additional reductions during the last decade.<ref name=Angerbjörn>{{cite journal | author = Angerbjörn, A. et al. | year = 1995 | title = Dynamics of the Arctic fox population in Sweden | journal = Annales Zoologici Fennici | volume = 32 | pages = 55–68}}</ref> The total population estimate for 1997 is around 60 adults in Sweden, 11 adults in Finland and 50 in Norway. From Kola, there are indications of a similar situation, suggesting a population of around 20 adults. The Fennoscandian population thus numbers a total of 140 breeding adults. Even after local lemming peaks, the Arctic Fox population tends to collapse back to levels dangerously close to non-viability.<ref name=Tannerfeldt/> ==References== {{reflist}} {{Commons|Alopex lagopus}} {{wikispecies|Alopex lagopus}} {{Nofootnotes|date=April 2008}} * Nowak, Ronald M. (2005). ''Walker's Carnivores of the World''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. 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