Origin of the species
Arctic fox (polar fox, arctic fox) (lat. Vulpes Lagopus, Alopex lagopus) is a species of predatory animals of the mammalian class, canine family, and fox genus.
Before arctic foxes belonged to a separate genus Alopex, later animals were included in the genus of wolves. Modern scientific classification sometimes classifies the only genus of arctic foxes as the genus of foxes.
What does a fox look like?
Outwardly, the arctic fox resembles a fox, but thanks to its short limbs, it is characterized by a squat physique. The body length of an adult is 50-75 cm, the height at the withers is 20-30 cm. The average weight of males is 3.5 kg, in rare cases, it reaches 9 kg. The bodyweight of females does not exceed 3 kg. The royal tail of the polar fox grows to 25-30 cm and, when standing, the animal reaches the ground.
Unlike foxes, Arctic foxes have a shortened muzzle and short, rounded ears, clearly visible in the summer. In the cold season, the ears practically do not protrude from the winter fur, which prevents them from frostbite.
The dense, multi-layered fur throughout the body, coupled with a compact physique, provides the animal with reliable protection against the cold at extremely low air temperatures of up to - 60 degrees. Even the paw pads are covered with a hard, warm pile — hence the name of the species, Lagopus, which means “hare paw” in Greek.
The eyes of foxes are perfectly pigmented, which protects the retina from burns, which can be obtained from sunlight reflected from snow. And heterochromia (multi-colored eyes) is a fairly common occurrence among arctic foxes.
Hearing and smell in the polar fox are well developed, and vision is their weakness. The voice resembles a yapping bark, in case of danger turning into a growl.
Color of fox fur
Depending on the color, foxes are white or blue. According to scientists, the blue fox is considered the dominant form, from which its white counterpart originated in the ice age.
Thick fox fur is soft and fluffy to the touch. White fox in winter is snow-white, in summer, fur acquires a dirty brown hue.
A more rare variety is the blue fox, the winter outfit of which has a rich spectrum of shades: sand, light coffee, ash gray with a blue tint or brown, shimmering with silver. An interesting feature: no matter the color of the fur coat the polar fox wore - brown or gray, it is in any case called blue.
Autumn fur change occurs from September to December and proceeds even slower than spring. Therefore, individual specimens with unfinished molting can be found even in December. The highest quality "fur coat" arctic foxes wear in January - February.
Classification of juveniles
Pronounced seasonal changes in the color of animals made it possible to create a certain nomenclature classification of the Arctic fox:
- Hornik - Arctic fox cub at the age of 1 month, not yet leaving burrows. Norniki is distinguished by short, thick, soft fur, practically devoid of spine. The color of the coat is monophonic, gray-brown in color, with time it becomes lighter. Dark patches remain along the shoulder blades and on the back;
the crosspiece is a young individual, not older than 2-4 months, who left the hole. If you look at the animal from above, the dark color forms a cross in the form of a cross: from the neck and along the back there is a wide strip of smoky-gray color, expanding in the area of the shoulder blades. The front side of the limbs and the upper part of the tail are colored as well. The lower part of the tail, the front of the neck and throat have a yellowish tint. The head is brownish-gray, the stomach is almost white;
- bruise - a young animal, for the first time starting to turn white in winter. The body color predominates in white, although a dark gray undercoat still shines through it, due to which the fur acquires a characteristic, ashen color;
- understanding - a young animal in a winter "coat", the quality of which is somewhat inferior to adult individuals. The color of the coat is completely white, sometimes with a slight smoky hue.
The summer color of adult fur is very similar to that of cross-hair, but young Arctic foxes are smaller and their coat is not so coarse.
Range and subspecies
Arctic foxes are distinguished by their polar distribution: animals inhabit the tundra and forest-tundra zones of Europe, America, and Asia, including most of the islands located in the seas beyond the Arctic Circle.
Arctic foxes - islanders wear a blue "fur coat" and are rarely found on the mainland.
Depending on the range, the current classification distinguishes 10 subspecies of the Arctic fox, representatives of which have insignificant differences due to the constant mixing of populations. Of interest are 3 subspecies of animals:
Mednovsky arctic fox (Alopex lagopus Semenovi) lives on the island of Copper, which is part of the Commander Islands. The rarest, smallest subspecies, according to statistics, numbering today no more than 100 individuals. It is listed in the Red Book of Russia as disappearing;
Alopex lagopus beringensis - Arctic fox from Bering Island. Compared with other representatives of the species, it is distinguished by larger body sizes and brown coloring of winter fur;
Alopex lagopus fuliginosus - Arctic fox living on the island of Iceland.