(Click on map for more detail) Population Information They may occur up to 3,000 m asl in elevation.ĭuring the last glaciation, the Arctic Fox had a distribution along the ice edge, and Arctic Fox remains have been found in a number of Pleistocene deposits over most of Europe and large parts of Siberia (Dalén et al.
The Arctic Fox has also been observed on the sea ice up to the North Pole. The Arctic Fox was also introduced to previously isolated islands in the Aleutian chain at the end of the 19th century by the fur industry (Bailey 1992), where they are now often being eliminated by bird conservation efforts (Walton et al. The species inhabits most Arctic islands and many islands in the Bering Sea. The southern edge of the species' distribution range may have moved somewhat north during the 20th century resulting in a smaller total range (Hersteinsson and Macdonald 1992). It breeds north of and above the tree line on the Arctic tundra in North America and Eurasia and on the alpine tundra in Fennoscandia, ranging from northern Greenland at 88°N to the southern tip of Hudson Bay, Canada, 53°N. The Arctic Fox has a circumpolar distribution in all Arctic tundra habitats. Most populations fluctuate widely in numbers between years in response to varying lemming numbers, but in most areas population status is believed to be good and there is no reason to believe that the species currently qualifies for listing as threatened under any of the criteria. The Arctic Fox has a circumpolar distribution in all Arctic tundra habitats, with a global population in the order of several hundred thousand animals. Often included in the genus Alopex, current evidence suggests that inclusion in Vulpes ( sensu Wozencraft 2005) is warranted as Vulpes is otherwise paraphyletic with respect to Alopex. Nuclear and matrilineal (mitochondrial) DNA unambiguously support the inclusion of Alopex lagopus in Vulpes (Geffen et al. Other Names English: Arctic Fox, Polar Foxįrench: Isatis, Renard Polaire, Reynard Polaire 2004 Status Survey & Conservation Action Plan - Europe & North/Central Asia.European Commission - Boosting Arctic Fox Numbers.2014 IUCN Red List Assessment - Arctic Fox.