Arctic fox sounds9/24/2023 Hence a peak in the arctic fox cycle is recorded the following winter.Ī characteristic of the lemming cycle is the "crash," the sudden decrease in population that may be caused by poor weather, lack of food, stress, predation, or a combination of these factors. During years when lemmings are plentiful, many foxes survive the long winter, a large proportion of the population breeds the following spring, and the litters are raised successfully. Population size may vary ten or twentyfold between years, and hundredfold increases are not uncommon at a peak in the lemming cycle. Although the fluctuations in lemming numbers, which occur every three to four years in North America, are not as well understood as those in Scandinavian countries, they are no less dramatic. The number of arctic foxes, especially in populations dependent upon lemmings for the major portion of their diet, fluctuates widely in relation to the abundance of lemmings. The wide distribution of this fox in the severe arctic environment is due to its excellent adaptation to cold and to a wide variety of foods. Adults also yelp to warn their whelps, or pups, of danger and give a high-pitched undulating whine when disputing territorial claims with neighbouring foxes. Courting foxes communicate with a barking yowl that may be heard over a great distance. The voice of the arctic fox is a sound rarely heard except during the breeding season. In Canada, blue foxes seldom make up more than 5 percent of animals that are trapped, whereas in Greenland, for example, the proportion of blue foxes may reach 50 percent. The blue coloration (blue fox) occurs in almost all populations, although the proportion tends to be higher in those animals living in marine areas that remain mostly ice-free during winter. A small proportion of arctic foxes have a heavy, pale bluish-grey coat in winter, which becomes thinner and darker bluish-grey in summer. Within a few weeks the back, tail, and legs are dark brown and the remaining underparts are a buff colour. Over the winter, the arctic fox has a heavy white coat, but during May, when the snow begins to melt, this coat is shed for a thinner, two-tone brown one. The long, bushy tail makes up between 30 and 35 percent of its total length. The arctic fox Alopex lagopus, or white fox as it is often called, is a member of the canid family and is related to other foxes, wolves, and dogs.It weighs from 2.5 to 9 kg and measures between 75 and 115 cm in length, making it the smallest wild canid in Canada-about the size of a large domestic cat.
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