Two Arctic Foxes accepting there life mate.
Endangered?The arctic fox has been driven out of some regions, such as northern Scandinavia, because of predators like the red fox. The arctic fox has been hunted by humans for its pelt, and also hunted in Iceland because of being a pest to sheep farmers. Humans also keep arctic foxes in captivity in fur farms. Nevertheless, populations have remained relatively stable. -Arctic Foxes are unable to persist in environments other than their native tundra habitat. This means that individuals living in southern parts of the species’ range will probably need to move north if they are to survive. Arctic Foxes, however, already occur in some of the most northerly parts of the world and their total available habitat is shrinking.
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Life cycle and reproductive cycle/strategies.Sexual or Asexual? - sexes separate; sexual.
Other Facts: Male foxes are known as dogs, tods or reynards, females as vixens, and young as cubs, pups, or kits. A group of foxes is referred to as a skulk, leash, troop, or earth. Foxes are alert omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are slightly smaller than a medium-size domestic dog with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout (a fox face) and a long bushy tail (or brush). The red fox has an auburn pelt and the bushy tail normally ending with white marking. The fennec fox and other species of fox adapted to life in the desert, such as the kit fox, have large ears and short fur, whereas the Arctic fox has tiny ears and thick, insulating fur. |
HabitatInhabits Arctic and alpine tundra on the continents of Eurasia, North America and the Canadian archipelago, Siberian islands, Greenland, inland Iceland and Svalbard, and Sub-Arctic maritime habitat in the Aleutian island chain, Bering Sea Islands, Commander Islands and coastal Iceland.
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Food SourcesArctic foxes will generally eat any small animal they can find including lemmings, voles, other rodents, hares, birds, eggs and carrion.
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Dealing with Climate ChangesArctic Foxes face several types of threats resulting from global climate change. The most significant of these threats is probably the loss of the tundra habitat that the species inhabits.
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