FIELD BOOK OF MAMMALS 



Arctic Fox. — Alopex lagopus lagopus (Linnaeus). Plate XIII. 

 As described. Restricted to Arctic regions of Europe and 

 Asia, but said to reach Bering Island in Bering Sea. 



Labrador Arctic Fox. — Alopex lagopus ungava (Merriam), 

 Distinguished from typical lagopus by differences in skull 

 characters. Taken at Fort Chimo, Ungava, Canada, and 

 south almost to 50°, thence ranging north to the Arctic 

 Ocean and west to meet the range of innuitus. 



Continental Arctic Fox. — Alopex lagopus innuitus (Merriam). 

 Slightly smaller than ungava and with broader braincase 

 than in typical lagoptis. Found in Arctic Alaska. 



Greenland Arctic Fox. — Alopex grwnlandicus (Bechstein). 

 There is some doubt as to the validity of this name for the 

 Greenland Fox. The original description has not been 

 available to me, Greenland specimens in the American 

 Museum are very similar to ungava. 



Pribilof Fox. — Alopex pribilofensis (Merriam). 



"Largest of the lagopus group. Skull much elongated, re- 

 sembling that of a Red Fox more than that of the Arctic 

 Foxes;" (Merriam). Blue phase predominating. Found 

 on St. George Island and St. Paul Island, Pribilof group, 

 Alaska. 



Hall Island Fox. — Alopex hallensis (Merriam). 



Smaller than lagopus and with shorter, broader skull. 

 Found on Hall Island, Bering Sea, Alaska. 



Bering Island Fox. — Alopex heringensis (Merriam). 



Nearly equal to pribilofensis in size, with skull larger than 



in typical lagopus. Found on Bering Island, Aleutian 



Islands, Alaska. 



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The Arctic Fox, as its name imphes, is a Fox of the northern 

 wastes, and in its range it goes as far north as any mammal, 

 being truly circumpolar in its distribution. It comes south 

 until it meets the northern tree limit and its chosen home is 

 the area of tundras and open, treeless lands where the winters 

 are long and bleak and the summers short. The assumption 

 of a white winter pelage is one of the adaptations with which 

 this Fox meets the Arctic environment. 



The Arctic Fox spends the short summer along the coast 

 or on the open plains or rocky hillsides where bird life or small 

 mammals are abundant. In winter it goes out on the ice and 

 picks up a living on the food the sea affords. During the year 

 the Fox may move a considerable distance to take advantage 

 of the best feeding grounds and also as a response to over- 

 crowding as the families of young grow up at the close of the 

 summer. Arctic explorers report a regular migration on the 

 part of these Foxes. 



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