Fox in winter. Arctic fox - snow fox. Habitat and appearance

The arctic fox is a resident of the Far North, which is why he has such a warm, light and beautiful fur coat, which both warms and makes him hardly noticeable in the snow. Unfortunately, it was because of her that the animal became widely known.

Systematics

Russian name - Arctic fox, polar fox

English name - Arctic (blue, polar, white) fox

Latin name - Alopex lagopus

Squad - Predatory (Carnivora)

Family - Canids (Canidae)

Genus - Arctic foxes (Alopex)

Conservation status of the species

The species is common over most of its range, however, the number of individual subspecies varies considerably. The rarest Arctic fox lives on Medny Island, it is listed in the IUCN Red Book, the number of adults does not exceed 100.

View and person

In the tundra zone, the Arctic fox is the most common and numerous predator. This is the main object of the fur trade in the northern regions: it is mined for the sake of fur. Since ancient times, people have tried to breed this animal in captivity to obtain skins. For the same purpose, the arctic fox was released several times to the small islands of the Kuril ridge: there he was on a "semi-free" content - the animals were fed, otherwise they were given complete freedom. Since the 30s of the last century, the industrial breeding of arctic foxes in fur farms began. This, of course, favorably affected the safety of the polar fox in nature.

This animal is easily tamed: taken by a puppy from a hole, it almost does not run wild with age. On the Commander Islands, where the polar fox is guarded, he arranges brood burrows under buildings, adult animals even take food from human hands. Where feeding is regularly carried out, the animals quickly get used to gathering at a certain time at the feeders.

An interesting feature was noticed: in those places where arctic foxes live close to people, in summer they become not just gullible, but even impudent - they rummage through garbage heaps, sometimes even stealing food from pets. In winter, the same animals try not to catch the eye of people, as if they know the value of their beautiful fur coat.

Distribution and habitats

The arctic fox is a typical representative of the fauna of the Arctic and Subarctic, its area of ​​distribution, as it were, encloses the Arctic Ocean in a ring. This animal inhabits the mainland tundra, starting from the Scandinavian and Kola Peninsulas through the entire polar Eurasia and North America, as well as Greenland, Svalbard, Novaya Zemlya, many islands of the Arctic Ocean, the Canadian archipelago. Arctic foxes constantly live on the Pribylov Islands, the Aleutian and Commander Islands. It is noteworthy that the boundaries of the range of this predator strongly shift depending on the season. These animals build burrows and breed in the tundra and on the Arctic islands, and during winter migrations they sometimes go deep into the mainland and can end up not only in many northern taiga regions, but also in southern Finland (almost at the latitude of Moscow), the southern part Baikal region, lower reaches of the Amur. Sometimes in winter, arctic foxes leave their native tundra and go north, into the ice of the ocean. Following the polar bear and feeding on the remains of its prey, arctic foxes penetrate into places very remote from land.

The high mobility of animals and the constant mixing of populations also explains the weakly expressed geographical variability of this species: only 8 to 10 subspecies stand out throughout the vast area of ​​its range.

The most typical habitats of arctic fox in the summer, when they live settled, are open tundras with hilly relief. Most often, animals choose for settlements the tops of watersheds and hills, the upper terraces of river valleys, high shores of lakes and sea coasts.

Appearance and morphology

The polar fox is a medium-sized animal (body length 45–70 cm, weight from 2 to 8 kg), depending on the season, it looks different. In winter, when the coat is extremely thick and luxuriant, it appears squat, with widely spaced ears barely protruding from the fur. In short summer fur, the arctic fox is quite tall and slender. The relatively large head looks disproportionately large in summer, with huge ears and a blunt muzzle. There are two color morphs in winter color: white and blue. Each morph changes in its own way by summer: the "blue" arctic fox becomes chocolate brown in summer, and the "white" fox becomes brown above and light gray below.

The arctic fox is a mobile animal, in the manner of behavior it is similar to a fox. The sense organs of this inhabitant of the harsh polar deserts are better developed than those of other representatives of the canine family. A mouse fox hears the movement of voles under the snow from a few meters away, senses grouse birds sleeping in the snow from 100 m away, sees white partridges, which merge with the white background for the human eye.

Feeding and feeding behavior

The arctic fox is an omnivorous predator, little picky in food: in those harsh places where it lives, one does not have to be picky. In the continental tundra, rodents predominate in the diet all year round, mainly lemmings, which the predator watches for at the hole, or “mouses”, like a fox. On the coasts, arctic foxes feed on sea waste, carrion makes up a large proportion of their diet.

On Medny Island, where there are no rodents at all, they spin around on seal rookeries, looking for dead animals, hungry predators sometimes dare to attack even living cubs. In winter, Arctic foxes live here mainly at the expense of the polar bear, picking up the remains of his meal. And during the fishing season, they settle near coastal villages, eating garbage.

This small predator hunts alone, since the prey is often small, and in winter there are too few of them to share. However, several animals gather near potential prey of large sizes, for example, a baby seal or a fur seal. They attack the prey from all sides, so that the mother simply does not have time to turn around to repel the attacks of predators. As a result, the cub dies from numerous bites.

If there is a lot of food, the arctic fox makes reserves. He puts the extracted lemmings and fish into the crevices between the stones, buries them in the ground, tightly tamping the kopanka with his nose and paws. Over the summer, a layer of fat accumulates under the skin of the animal, which protects it from the cold and at the same time serves as an energy storeroom. Over the winter, fat is gradually consumed, so that by spring the animal loses up to a third of its autumn weight.

The living conditions in the tundra are very harsh. Although arctic foxes are perfectly adapted to them, in some years they find themselves in an extremely difficult situation. Especially detrimental to them are periods of a sharp drop in the number of lemmings, when predators living on the continent lose their main food. These depressions recur regularly every few years and invariably lead to a decline in the number of Arctic foxes.

Lifestyle and social organization

Arctic foxes are active at any time of the day, since in their habitats the change of day and night is expressed only in spring and autumn.

These animals show attachment to a certain place only in summer, during the breeding season, when puppies grow. At this time, the couple occupies and protects from other arctic foxes the territory where the hole is located and where the animals hunt. The territory is actively marked with urine, and during the rut, the males intensively rub their cheeks and shoulders against the place of marking, transferring the smell to their skin. The boundaries of the territory are regularly patrolled, and the marks are updated. In addition to the smell, the animals confirm their presence in the territory with sounds, thanks to which the animals know where the neighbors are and what they are doing.

On Wrangel Island, where long-term studies of tagged animals are carried out, the width of the border strip between neighboring territories varies from 600 to 800 meters, depending on the relief. During the years of high numbers of breeding Arctic foxes, couples practically do not violate the borders of territories while feeding puppies. On the contrary, when the population is low, the animals make regular exits outside the territory - the used space is much larger than the protected one.

On the territory of each family of arctic foxes, there are one or several burrows of a complex structure, which serve as brood burrows. In addition to them, there are small holes that can be used by puppies after they begin to actively explore the parental habitat.

A separate territory can be occupied and protected from neighbors by a non-breeding group of arctic foxes of 3-5 animals, between which complex relations are established, for example, greetings at a meeting, but stealing from each other's hiding places.

In addition to territorial animals, the population always contains solitary animals that are not tied to a specific area and constantly move, stopping only to hunt and rest. They do not mark, do not indicate their presence by barking and tend not to contact the owners of the territories. Among such wandering arctic foxes there are not only young and aging, but also adult animals.

As the puppies grow up and move on to an independent life, both they and their parents increasingly violate the borders of the territories of their neighbors and are more tolerant of the appearance of strangers on their sites. On the islands, with enough food, adult arctic foxes can remain wintering in their territories, while young foxes roam very widely. In the event of a shortage of food, adult animals also leave their sites in search of food.

On the mainland, mass migrations of arctic foxes begin in August-September after the departure of birds from nesting sites. At this time, the animals show signs of anxiety, randomly rushing along the banks of reservoirs, and often gather in large groups. Then purposeful movements to the south begin, covering masses of animals. Arctic foxes during wanderings run day and night, almost without being distracted on the sides, while often barking and howling. Nomadic groups cross wide rivers and even sea straits up to 2-4 kilometers wide. In the spring, arctic foxes gradually return back. In famine years, such resettlements are especially massive.

Vocalization

Arctic foxes are very talkative, and the sounds they make, depending on the situation and psycho-emotional state, are very diverse. They may resemble purring, crying, whining, clucking, screeching. But most often foxes bark. They make these sounds when patrolling the boundaries of their site, when moving around the territory, family members use barking to call to each other, and neighbors bark from their territories. In calm weather, a person can hear the barking of a polar fox from a distance of 3 km, it is hoarse and higher than that of a dog. During conflicts, animals growl or squeal. During the rutting period or at the beginning of mass migrations, animals often howl. The sound repertoire during the interactions of the female with puppies is very rich.

Reproduction and education of offspring

The breeding season for Arctic foxes begins in April. Animals that do not have a mate look for partners. In old, formed pairs, the male tries to stay close to the female, both animals actively mark the area (the male puts his mark on top of the female), and both bark a lot. At this time, as a rule, not only the male, but also the female is aggressive towards other foxes. They begin to show interest in burrows, regularly visit them, mark and clear away snow from the burrows.

After the rut, there is a period of calm: the male and female live in their own area, mostly hunting or sleeping. When they meet, they greet each other. At this time, they do not mark the site and almost do not bark. About three weeks before whelping, the female begins to beg the male for food. At first, he answers her by giving away the lemmings he caught, but after a few days, having caught the animal, he calls the female by barking or looking for her in the footsteps to feed. On Wrangel Island, scientists often observed the following picture: the male slowly walks around the site, hunting, and the pregnant female slowly follows him. When he starts listening to the lemming, or digging the snow, she sits down, looks at him and waits for the outcome of the hunt. As soon as the male catches the prey, the female quickly runs to him and violently demonstrates begging. Simultaneously with the feeding by the male of the female, both animals begin to actively mark their territory, bark and aggressively treat other Arctic foxes.

To whelp, the female goes into a hole and does not appear from it for about 2 days. There are up to 20 cubs in a litter - arctic foxes are very prolific, on average 8–9 puppies are born, however, all survive only in years with favorable feeding conditions. In the first two weeks, the female comes to the surface rarely and for a short time (no more than 30–60 minutes). During exits, she runs around almost the entire family plot, marks and often barks. At the same time, it feeds, although it mainly feeds on what the male brings to her hole. During the years of high numbers of lemmings, the male almost completely provides both himself and the female with food while the cubs are in the hole.

As the puppies grow up, the duration of the female's departure from them increases to 2–3 or more hours. She begins to sleep outside the burrow. With the start of feeding the puppies with meat food (approximately at the 4th week of their life), the male stops feeding the female and feeds only the puppies. At this time, the female also begins to intensively hunt and feed the puppies. A few days after the start of feeding the puppies with meat food, their first exits from the hole are observed, at first very short and uncertain, only in the presence of their parents, and then without them. As they grow older, young animals begin to run away from the hole after their parents farther and farther.

During the transition of puppies to a meat diet, fights are not uncommon between them, sometimes very fierce. This happens especially often if an adult brings one serving of food. In such cases, the mother often intervenes, pressing her paw or grabbing the aggressor's mouth, ending the conflict. To reduce competition among cubs, experienced parents, if possible, bring several lemmings to the hole at once. Sometimes, at the moment of transition to meat food, adults divide a large brood, transferring half of the puppies to another hole. Further, both the male and the female feed the pups from both burrows. This strategy of behavior of adults allows them to raise cubs in the most favorable social environment and contributes to the survival of more puppies.

Young arctic foxes grow and develop quickly and at the age of 2.5-3 months they begin to move to an independent existence. At this time, the parents stop giving them meat food. All prey that adults do not eat immediately, they bury in hiding places. Puppies constantly run in their tracks and get food from caches. Thus, the arrangement of hiding places by adults becomes the main way of feeding the cubs during their transition to an independent life. At the same time, young arctic foxes learn to hunt on their own and master the entire parental area. They run alone, but often meet each other, play and rest nearby, 2-3 animals each, and the whole family gathers together about once a day.

The decay of the brood under favorable feeding conditions begins at the age of about 3 months. Hormonal restructuring in young animals leads, in particular, to an increase in the proportion of exploratory behavior, and the animals begin to leave the parental area more often. At the same time, the freezing of the soil begins, and it becomes more and more difficult to hunt lemmings, it is necessary to examine a large area. The attitude of parents towards their own puppies remains friendly, but the grown-up animals eventually leave and become wanderers.

The following year, young foxes can already begin to breed, but more often this happens in the second year of life.

Lifespan

Arctic foxes live in nature for a short time, on average 2-3 years, in captivity much longer.

Currently, the polar fox is kept on the Old Territory of the Zoo in one of the enclosures of the exhibition “Fauna of Russia. The animal never lived in the wild, it came to us from a fur farm, where its life could hardly be called heavenly. Having changed the place of registration, he became calm, trusting, approaches the people who look after him. The diet in the zoo is very satisfying and varied. Daily it includes meat, eggs, cottage cheese, carrots.

The aviary where our handsome man lives is small but comfortable - you can run and hide behind cover. The arctic fox does not pay attention to the visitors and behaves quite calmly.

In winter, this beast is dressed in a snow-white fur coat, and when it rests, it seems like a fluffy snow island. In summer, it is gray-brown in color and, because of the short fur, looks rather awkward: long-legged, big-headed and eared.

In addition to the exposition, there is a polar fox in the exit section of the zoo. It is seen by participants of our special thematic programs during lectures. He sits on a table in front of the audience without a cage and allows himself to be viewed from all sides. This is a blue fox, it differs from the ordinary one in a darker color.

The Arctic fox is a small animal from the canine family. He is the only representative of the fox genus.

Full description of the fox

This is a small predator resembling a fox. Weighing from 3.5 to 10 kg, body length 50-75cm without tail. The tail of the arctic fox is 25-40 cm, the height at the shoulders is 30-35 cm. The head is round with a narrow shortened muzzle. Ears are short, protruding. The color of the coat in summer is brown or light coffee, in winter it is snow-white or dark gray with a bluish tint. The legs are short, the soles of the paws are covered with short coarse hair.

Arctic foxes are the only canids that have a seasonal color change. In summer, the animal has a series or dark brown coat color, in winter it is pure white or white with a grayish tint on the back. Arctic foxes with a grayish tint, these are the so-called blue foxes, such a winter color among these animals is quite rare.

Foxes molt twice a year - in spring and autumn. The spring coat change begins in March or April and lasts about 4 months. Autumn molting lasts from September to December.

Arctic fox lifestyle and life cycle

Arctic foxes are monogamous, they create their pairs for life, although, of course, there are exceptions to the rule. Most often this is due to the death of one of the partners or when several males take care of the female. Such courtship, for unknown reasons, is mainly found on the Commander Islands. There are times when a male abandons a female, unable to defend the territory from the encroachments of stronger and more arrogant relatives.

Each pair has its own hole, near which they meet after long winter wanderings. If this is a young couple, then the animals, as a rule, choose the territory and dig a hole on their own or occupy an abandoned one.

The Arctic fox burrow is a multi-pass structure with an abundance of chambers and sleeves. Polar foxes need it only during the rutting season. Burrows are usually located on coastal cliffs, sandy hills, high terraces and watersheds covered with vegetation. In the tundra where arctic foxes live, there are not so many suitable places for building holes. Radiocarbon analysis of food remains found in the ground gave scientists grounds to assert that the first inhabitants appeared in these intricate labyrinths several thousand years ago.

During the breeding season, Arctic foxes mark their territory. If other relatives, no matter what gender, enter their territory, they vehemently defend their territory from the intrusion of a stranger. After mating, foxes begin to lead a measured lifestyle, sleep a lot, fattening up. At this time, Arctic foxes practically do not communicate and even go hunting separately. But then after a while, when the female can no longer fully hunt, the male begins to provide her with food. He shares with his companion all the prey, and if it is not in place, then he always hides the food in a secluded place. His girlfriend will definitely follow the trail and find the food hidden for her. Until the very birth, the female will follow her companion, receiving part of the prey from him. Only after 2 weeks after the appearance of the babies, she will go hunting on her own.

Arctic foxes bear offspring for 49-56 days. The mass appearance of puppies occurs from May to June. In one litter, from 8 to 12 smoky-brown or brown puppies appear. Sometimes in one hole there can be from 20 to 40 babies. The fact is that arctic foxes often feed and raise adopted children. Also, two families often find themselves in holes, which also significantly increases their number. Although mostly holes are located 200 meters from one another.

After the appearance of offspring, the female practically does not go outside. At this time, as well as during pregnancy, the male takes care of her. He brings her prey and pushes her into a hole without going there himself. After 2 weeks, the female begins to leave the hole. Then, when the kids completely switch to meat food, the care of the cubs falls on the shoulders of the father. At this time, the female begins to bring prey.

A month later, the kids boldly leave the den, frolicking in the fresh air and exploring the territory. It is not uncommon for cubs to fight among themselves for food brought by their parents. To avoid fights, parents try to bring as much food as possible. They first catch a sufficient amount of prey, hide it, and only then, when the prey is for the future, will they collect it and carry it to the children.

Very often, a mother separates her babies according to burrows. This happens when there are a lot of puppies and there is not enough food for everyone, or when stronger cubs take food from weaker ones. By the way, weak animals are the first to leave the "father's house", unable to withstand the pressure of their brothers and sisters.

At the age of 3-4 months, parents stop bringing them food, although they do not completely remove the obligation to feed the young. From this moment on, the parents bury the caught prey in holes, and the young growth, following the smell, tries to find it. The training of young foxes ends with the onset of cold weather, they go to "free bread". But often, after winter wanderings, some young arctic foxes return home, helping their parents feed new offspring, until they themselves reach puberty.

In the wild, foxes live 6-10 years.

The arctic fox is a member of the canine family, also known as the arctic fox, arctic fox, or arctic fox. Already by the name you can guess where this animal lives - these are the polar latitudes. It is the only representative of the fox genus and is valued by man for its wonderful fur.

Description

The origin of the species is of interest. Initially, arctic foxes were assigned to the genus of wolves, but more thorough research allowed to establish that it would be more correct to attribute this species to foxes.

This cute predator looks like a fox. You can recognize it by the following features:

The color of the polar fox is diverse, it is customary to distinguish the following types:

• white (summer brown, white in winter.
• Blue (dark in winter and light in summer).

The Arctic fox begins to molt in early spring, molting takes about 120 days. Autumn molt begins with the advent of autumn and ends in December. The best time for fur trade is January and February, during these months the animals have more lush and warm fur.

It has a well-developed sense of smell and hearing, but vision is much weaker. The average life expectancy in nature is 6 to 10 years. In captivity, they live much longer, up to 20 years.

Gallery: animal fox (25 photos)

habitats

You can meet this beautiful predatory animal in the polar latitudes beyond the Arctic Circle. Habitats include:

• coast of the Arctic Ocean;
• islands in the Arctic Ocean;
• tundra;
• forest-tundra.

Found in Russia, Finland.

Behavioral Features

Where does the fox live? He prefers to settle t in tundra with small hills, where it digs complex burrows with several exits. To protect their dwelling from the penetration of larger predators, the arctic fox pulls out its labyrinths in the soft ground among the stones. Often, she manages to dig through the ground until permafrost, gradually penetrating deeper as it thaws.

Animals try to locate holes closer to the water, never moving away from the source of liquid by more than 500 meters. Therefore, there are not so many places suitable for housing, the same hill has been used for decades. In winter, arctic foxes hide well in simple pits and snowdrifts.

They prefer to live in families, which includes a male, a female and young animals. These animals are characterized by monogamy, although sometimes polygamous arctic foxes are also found. Most often, families tend to live apart, but sometimes they gather in colonies of two or three families.

Looking for food lead a nomadic lifestyle. Migration begins in autumn and continues in winter. Arctic foxes are forced to make "journeys" across the tundra following their favorite delicacy - lemmings. In search of food, the polar fox can climb very far, to the very North Pole, roaming on floating ice.

In the spring, for the breeding season, they return to their old burrows or dig new ones.

Natural enemies include large predators:

• wolves;
• wolverines;
• foxes;
• in famine years, both polar bears and raccoon dogs can hunt foxes.

Feathered predators - snowy owls, eagle owls and eagles - can also attack young individuals. Snowy owls are considered the worst enemies of polar foxes, as they lie in wait for sick and weakened individuals and peck them.

Nutrition

In places where the arctic fox lives, you can find a large amount of various food, so the animal is omnivorous, eating both plant and animal feed. From animal food, the arctic fox most often consumes:

• lemmings;
• other rodents;
• birds.

Sometimes reindeer cubs that have strayed from the herd, even young seals, become victims of these predators. They love polar foxes and fish, they catch it on their own or are content with carcasses of cod, mollusks or sea urchins thrown ashore.

The plant-based diet is more varied:

• herbs;
• seaweed;
• berries (cloudberries, blueberries).

Often forced to eat carrion, especially in winter, when it becomes difficult to get other food. Often this causes the appearance of helminths, due to which the fox weakens, loses the ability to accumulate fat and eventually dies.

Some arctic foxes have adapted very well to survival: they stay close to polar bears and eat the remains of their prey. And other arctic foxes eat animals that have fallen prey to traps, and often other foxes become food.

reproduction

Estrus begins in early spring, sometimes in April, males arrange fierce fights for females. Pregnancy lasts from 50 to 57 days, several cubs are born, on average - 8-10, sometimes more. The offspring is cared for by both parents. If the male dies, the female carries the babies to the nearest hole, where she nurses the crumbs with the help of her family - neighbors.

Interestingly, white foxes are born smoky brown, and blue foxes are almost brown. Therefore, the expression "black fox" appeared, which does not exist in nature.

Parents bring toys to their burrows for their offspring: parts of deer antlers, small bones. The breastfeeding period lasts about 70 days. Babies open their eyes already from the ninth day of life and six months later catch up with their parents in growth. This species is ready for breeding the next year, but, as a rule, begins to mate only in the second year of life.

Types of fox cubs

In science, it is customary to distinguish several types of young foxes:

• Nornik. This is a baby under the age of one month, who has never left a hole, he is distinguished by a short and soft gray-brown fur and, almost without an awn. Gradually, the animal's coat brightens.
• Cross. This baby is older, he is from 2 to 4 months old, he has already climbed out of the hole. The color is still dark, a cross-shaped pattern is formed on the back, hence the name. Part of the limbs and legs are also painted darker. The belly is almost white and the head is grey-brown.
• Bruise. This is a young arctic fox, turning white for the first time before winter. The color of the fur is predominantly white, but a dark gray undercoat can also be seen.
• Undersand. This is a juvenile with white fur, which looks somewhat worse than the fur of adults due to a slight smoky shade.

The polar fox is the most important game animal, from which people have been accustomed to receive valuable fur since time immemorial. In the north, it is the arctic fox that is the basis of the fur trade. People have learned to breed these beauties on special farms, blue fox fur is especially valuable, which can be grown even in an ordinary apartment. The skins from the fur of these fur-bearing animals are very beautiful and warm, but few people know that more than 20 animals will have to be killed to produce one.

Often on the northern islands you can find semi-free breeding - animals run in the wild, resorting to feeders and traps at the signal of the owner.

Hunting is now under strict state control: it is forbidden to catch young animals, and it is possible to shoot adult animals for fur only from the last week of December to the end of March.

Arctic fox, Arctic fox. (Polar fox, Commander or Mednovskiy, blue fox, Polar fox, white fox, blue fox)

The arctic fox is a typical representative of the Arctic and Subarctic fauna with a circumpolar distribution. It is found on the Scandinavian and Kola Peninsulas, polar Eurasia and North America, Greenland, Svalbard, Novaya Zemlya, many islands of the Arctic Ocean, the Canadian archipelago. During winter migrations, they penetrate south as far as southern Finland, almost to the latitude of Moscow, the southern part of the Baikal region, the lower reaches of the Amur, not to mention many northern taiga regions.

The arctic fox is a relatively small, fox-like animal, and unlike the latter, its body is more squat, its muzzle is shortened, its ears are short, rounded, slightly protruding from its winter coat. Its dense, layered coat, reaching several inches thick during the winter, provides excellent heat insulation. Short ears, a short muzzle, and short limbs reduce heat loss by reducing body surfaces exposed to cold. Even the cushions on the soles of the feet are covered in fur to insulate them. The arctic fox is one of the most cold-adapted mammals, which does not freeze even at temperatures reaching -60 C.

The body length of the fox is 50-75 cm, the tail is 25-40 cm, the height at the shoulders is about 30-35 cm. The average weight of males is 3.5 kg (range 3.2-9.4 kg); females - 2.9 kg (1.4-3.2 kg).

The Arctic fox is the only representative of the canine family, which is characterized by a pronounced seasonal color dimorphism. In summer, the animal is dressed in short fur, dirty-brown above, reddish-gray below. In winter, the vast majority of individuals wear a lush snow-white coat, with a long and soft awn and thick down, and only a few, the so-called blue foxes, have a dark winter outfit, of different shades - from sandy and light coffee to dark gray with bluish reflection and even brown with silver. The blue coloration represents the dark, hereditary phase. Blue foxes are found in all populations, but on the mainland they are very rare, and on some islands, on the contrary, they prevail.

The time of the beginning of the spring and autumn molting of arctic foxes depends on the place and specific weather conditions, therefore it begins at different times. But, as a rule, the spring molt begins in March - April and lasts up to 4 months, the autumn molt runs from September to December. The best quality fox fur is in January - February.

Habitat: The arctic fox is a tundra inhabitant, and its most typical habitats are open tundras with hilly terrain. Only in years of high abundance do Arctic foxes choose thickets of shrubs for burrowing.

The enemies of the fox are: Snowy owl, eagles, polar bear, wolverine, fox, dog. During the breakup of families, some of the puppies are bitten by males from neighboring areas. Of the enemies for the young, the raven is dangerous. Limiting factors: diseases - scabies and helminthiases, as well as damage from ear mites. Among arctic foxes, especially if they are weak from hunger, an epizootic of wilding often breaks out - viral arctic animal encephalitis. Often, adult animals break, climbing the bird markets in an attempt to get birds or their eggs. Lifespan: 8-10 years (maximum 11).

The arctic fox eats everything it can get: eating 125 species of animals and 25 species of plants has been established. For mainland arctic foxes, lemmings form the basis of existence, the abundance and availability of which determines the abundance, distribution, settlement and other features of the ecology of the predator, as well as mice and other rodents, birds, eggs, and hares. On the coast, they also have a stable food base: sea debris, marine invertebrates, fish, bird colonies, marine animal carcasses. The rookeries of northern fur seals, which supply food to predators, are of great importance for arctic foxes. During the harsh winter, they are content with carrion, reindeer dung, and berries. Sometimes, following polar bears or wolves, they feed on the remains of caribou or other animals taken by predators.

In summer, the arctic fox is active almost around the clock, constantly looking for food. In autumn and winter, he prefers to go hunting at night.

In summer, arctic foxes rest either in their brood burrows or outdoors. In winter, the arctic fox is often content with a simple den in the snow, and during snowstorms and severe frosts it digs a hole in a snowdrift and sometimes does not leave it for several days in a row.

Arctic foxes are perfectly adapted to the harsh conditions of the tundra, despite this, every autumn many animals that inhabit the tundras of northeastern Europe and Asia head along the sea coasts and rivers to the south for several hundred kilometers, concentrating in many hundreds and thousands in the most forage regions. In the spring, arctic foxes gradually return back.

In famine years, Arctic foxes find themselves in a very difficult situation. This is due to periods of a sharp drop in the number of lemmings, which happens once every 2-4 years, when predators are deprived of their main food. This forces Arctic foxes to mass migration over considerable distances. Such migrations begin in August - September, reaching a peak in October - November. On the day, the animals travel 20 - 30 km and go for 1000 - 1800 km or more from their native places. One arctic fox, ringed in Taimyr, was caught in Alaska, i.e., approximately 5,000 km away. During long-distance migrations, a significant number of animals often die - from hunger, disease and other hardships, which invariably entails a corresponding drop in the number of arctic foxes over vast areas.

Social structure: In summer, the family consists of 2-6 adults and usually includes 1 male, 1-2 lactating, 1-2 non-lactating females and 3-8 pups. The area of ​​the family habitat, as a rule, ranges from 5 to 30 square meters. km, but foxes run for food in hungry years even for 10 km. However, it must be borne in mind that females often bring up several adoptees, and in extensive burrows two families can unite, and then in one such colony there are up to 40 or more young animals.

In fox populations, there are usually 10%-20% more males than females.

reproduction: Arctic foxes form a married couple during the breeding season. Mating games begin with the first rays of the sun after the Arctic night.

Brood burrows of arctic foxes are located on coastal cliffs, sandy hills, on high terraces and watersheds covered with vegetation. Brood burrows are complex, although not deep (up to a meter), due to permafrost, underground labyrinths with many entrances. There are few suitable places for building holes in the tundra, so arctic foxes use them from year to year, sometimes for 15-20 years in a row, and counting with interruptions - even hundreds of years, expanding and improving dwellings, so that some hills are completely pitted with connecting passages with many (up to 60-80) inputs, of which 10-12 are used. In such vast towns, 2-3 families can live at the same time. However, usually residential burrows are located no closer than 200 m from one another.

Burrows are usually located no further than half a kilometer from the reservoir, where well-trodden paths lead.

Season/breeding period: Gon at the end of March - April. As a rule, polar foxes are monogamous, although sometimes (especially on the Commander Islands) cases of polygamy are observed. 1-2 males run after the female. The female's estrus lasts 4-5 days. With an abundance of food and good fatness of the animals, the rut proceeds amicably, most of the females bring offspring, so sometimes there are not even enough holes and some are forced to whelp right on the surface of the earth, under the protection of grass and bushes.

Pregnancy: Pregnancy lasts 49 to 56 days, with an average of 52 days.

Puberty: Foxes reach sexual maturity at 10 months of age. They can breed as early as the next year, although they reach full development only in the second year.

Offspring: 1-2 weeks before giving birth, the female looks for a hole and begins to clean and renew it. Mass appearance of puppies in May - June, but sometimes in April and July.

Arctic foxes are distinguished by a very high fertility. The number of puppies, especially in feeding years, is very high. 6-16 (on average 8-9) puppies are born, sometimes up to 20, but usually much less survive. Average litter size: 5.3 in Iceland, 10.5 in Canada; 11.4 - on Wrangel Island.

In white foxes, newborns are covered with dark, smoky-brown fur, in blue foxes they are almost brown. The eyes of newborns open on the 9th - 18th day, on the 15th day all teeth erupt. In July-August, puppies 3-4 weeks old begin to emerge on the surface of the burrow. After another 2-4 weeks, they usually leave the brood burrow. Lactation: 8-10 weeks.

At the age of six months, the young reach the size of their parents. Arctic fox cubs grow and develop quickly (faster than foxes).

In the tundra, the arctic fox is the main object of the fur trade. The fur of the arctic fox is highly valued in the fur industry and therefore foxes are heavily exploited. In Alaska, Arctic foxes have been bred for fur since 1865 and have been important to the local economy.

In Iceland, the arctic fox attacks sheep and lambs, causing significant damage to the region's livestock. Local farmers have long been encouraged to shoot these predators in order to protect their livestock.

The smallest subspecies of the blue fox Alopex lagopus semenovi, which is endangered, with a catastrophically reduced population in recent years, is the Commander subspecies of the blue fox Alopex lagopus semenovi, which has the status of an endangered species (category I) and is listed in the Red Book of Russia.

Arctic fox (lat. Alopex lagopus)
Canine family - (lat. Canidae)
Genus - arctic foxes (Alopex)

Arctic fox or polar fox- a medium-sized predatory mammal, the only representative of its kind. Two forms are distinguished by color: white fox and blue fox. white fox in summer it has a grayish-brown color, in winter it is white. blue fox both summer and winter smoky gray, with a bluish tinge. Moulting occurs in all arctic foxes twice a year.

The body of the polar fox is elongated, the legs are relatively short, the tail of a standing animal reaches the ground. The wool is thick and very soft. Body length up to 75 cm, tail length - up to 52 cm. The average weight of a male is 3.5, females - 3 kg. The muzzle of the arctic fox is slightly pointed and short, the ears are small, rounded, in winter fur they hardly protrude from the wool, in summer they seem large.

habitats:
foxes are found in the tundra and forest-tundra of Eurasia and North America, as well as on many islands of the Arctic Ocean, on the Commander, Aleutian and Pribylov Islands. On the mainland, white foxes are more common, on the islands - blue ones. This is the only predator that inhabited the entire tundra zone of the Northern Hemisphere, including the drifting ice of the Arctic Ocean. The arctic fox penetrates into the depths of the Arctic all the way to the North Pole.

Lifestyle:
typical family arctic foxes consists of a male, female, young females from the previous litter and cubs of the current year. Usually families live separately, but they can also settle in colonies of two or three families. The area of ​​the habitat of the fox family ranges from 2 to 30 sq. km. In winter, the arctic fox is often content with a simple den in the snow. The arctic fox spends a significant part of the year roaming in search of food, but by the time of breeding, the arctic foxes return to those places from which they migrated in the fall - winter. When they return, they occupy ready-made holes or dig new ones.

He chooses a place for a hole among stones, in soft ground. Stones serve as additional protection against digging by large predators. The hole breaks through to the level of permafrost, deepening it as the soil thaws. The animal prefers water to be nearby, therefore it has a hole no more than five hundred meters from the shore. In general, the fox burrow is a complex labyrinth with many entrances, their number reaches 80. In fact, there are few places in the tundra suitable for building a hole, so foxes use them for years, sometimes for 15-20 years in a row. You can see the hills, completely pitted with arctic foxes.

Estrus in female foxes occurs in March-April. Pregnancy lasts 49-57 days. The female brings from seven to twelve (and even more) cubs. Both parents take care of the offspring.

white foxes are born with dark, smoky-brown fur, blue foxes- almost brown. Babies' eyes open on days 9-18. They develop quickly and at the age of six months reach the size of their parents. They can breed as early as the next year, although they reach full development only in the second year.

Nutrition:
The fox is omnivorous. The composition of its feed includes 125 species of animals and 25 species of plants. However, the basis of food is still small rodents, especially lemmings, as well as birds. It feeds on both washed ashore and fish caught by itself. He does not disdain plant food: he eats berries (cloudberries, blueberries), algae, seaweed, herbs. The arctic fox does not refuse carrion either. Often follows a polar bear, then eating the remnants of seal carcasses. The arctic fox perfectly knows how to empty the traps set by man. Arctic fox is a thrifty animal. In the summer, he stores excess food in the den for the winter.