Adult Arctic Foxes Alopex lagopus L. in the denning area; numbers and behaviour

Abstract

Behaviour of Arctic Foxes Alopex lagopus in the denning area was studied in two mountain regions of southern Scandinavia. More than two adult foxes were recorded in 6 of the 9 den-years in Scandinavia. One den probably contained two litters of pups and two pairs of adults, while two more dens may have contained two litters. Several adults probably visited dens only briefly, and more than two adults were rarely observed at the same time. Some spatial separation of adults was also found. Since parenthood of pups was unknown, and since the role of the «surplus» adults was not clear, they could not be assigned a «helper» role. Surplus adults in the denning area may have resulted from a relaxed territorial defence, rather than from a need for more adults to bring food to pups. Interactions between adults were rarely observed, and were mainly restricted to the transfer of food from male to female. Adults were mostly resting when observed in denning areas, and were inactive 60 - 90% of the time. Females and males were not different in their overall activity, with mean 73 ± 15% of their time being inactive. Male activity varied significantly with time of day, but female activity did not.