Alopex Lagopus Beringensis

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in biology, Alopex Lagopus Beringensis (Alias:Bering Arctic Fox or Bering Islands Arctic Fox , Vulpes Lagopus Beringensis) It is one of the subspecies of Vulpes lagopus, with a body length of 50-60 cm, a tail length of 20-25 cm, and a weight of 2.5-4 kg. The face is narrow, the mouth is pointed, the ears are round, the tail hair is fluffy, and the tip is white. In winter, the whole body hair is white, only the tip of the nose is black; in summer, the body hair is gray-black, with a lighter color on the belly. It has very dense villi and less guard hairs and can live on ice sheets at minus 50°C. The hair on the soles of the feet is particularly thick. Activities alone or in groups. Their food is mainly lemmings, but they also eat fish, birds, bird eggs, shellfish, Arctic hares and berries. The breeding period is from 2 to 5 months, and the gestation period is 51 to 52 days. Each litter usually gives birth to 8 to 10 foxes. In about 10 months, the fox cubs begin to reach sexual maturity, and their life span is 8 to 10 years.

Alopex Lagopus Beringensis is small and fat, with males slightly larger. The forehead is narrow, the snout is very pointed, the ears are short and round, the hair grows on the back of the cheeks, the legs are short, and the bottoms of the feet are also densely hairy, suitable for walking on ice and snow, the tail hair is fluffy, the tip is white, and the body is slightly thinner than a red fox. . Arctic fox fur is long, soft and thick, so it can withstand severe cold temperatures. In winter, the whole body hair color is pure snow white, with only the tip of the hairless nose and tail black, which gradually changes to blue-gray from spring to summer. In summer, the body hair is gray-black, and the color of the belly is lighter. It has very dense villi and less guard hairs, a long tail, particularly fluffy tail hairs, and a white tail end.

Distributed in Bering Island, Commandor Islands, Kamchatka Peninsula (northeast of Russian Asia).

Distributed in the coastal areas of the Arctic Ocean and the tundra areas on some islands, it can live on the ice sheets at minus 50 degrees Celsius. It likes to nest in hilly areas, and the Arctic fox's nest has several entrances and exits. When there is a snowstorm, you can stay in your nest for several days. The Arctic fox makes some repairs and expansions to its den every year so that it can live there for a long time. In summer, when food is plentiful, it stores part of the food in its nest. In winter, when the food stored in the den is exhausted, the white fox will stalk the polar bear and pick up the leftovers.

Arctic foxes can live on ice sheets at minus 50 degrees Celsius. It can migrate long distances and has strong navigation skills. Arctic foxes migrate a distance of 4,600 kilometers in five and a half months. On average, it can travel 90 kilometers a day and can travel continuously for several days. It can migrate from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast within a few months, and the journey is close to the east-west distance of Canada. Arctic foxes are able to navigate hundreds of kilometers. They leave their nests during the winter, migrate up to 600 kilometers away, and return home the following summer.

In a group of foxes, there is a strict hierarchy among the female foxes, and one of them can dominate the other females. There is a certain territoriality. The Arctic fox's diet includes lemmings, fish, birds, bird eggs, berries and Arctic hares. It sometimes roams the coast to catch shellfish, but its main food supply comes from lemmings. When encountering a lemming, the arctic fox will jump up with extreme accuracy, pounce, pin the lemming to the ground, and devour it. When the Arctic fox smells the scent of lemmings in its nest and hears the screams of lemmings, it will quickly dig out the lemming nest under the snow. When it is almost done, the Arctic fox will suddenly jump up high. , using the power of leaping, he used his legs to collapse the rat nest made of snow, caught the whole nest of lemmings in one go, and ate them one by one. In cases of extreme hunger, arctic foxes will attack each other.

They come into heat and mate from February to May every year. Generally March is the estrus period for Arctic foxes. When estrus begins, the female arctic fox raises her head upwards, sits and chirps, which is calling the male arctic fox. When males are in estrus, they also chirp, more frequently and more impatiently than females, ending with a unique tone, some of which are similar to the sounds of cats fighting, and some of which are like the sounds of grouse. Generally, it only takes 51-52 days for a litter of fox cubs to be born. Each litter usually has 8-10 cubs, with the highest record being 16. The newly born cubs have not yet opened their eyes. After 16-18 days, the cubs begin to open their eyes. Seeing the world. After a two-month lactation period, the mother fox begins to capture lemmings, voles, etc. from the wild to feed the fox cubs. Whenever the mother fox returns with prey in her mouth, the cubs rush out of the cave to share the prey. In about 10 months, the fox cubs begin to reach sexual maturity and have a lifespan of 8-10 years.