Arctic Fox Alopex lagopus L. color phases in South Norway

Abstract

Arctic Foxes (Alopex lagopus) exhibit two color phases, white and blue, with some variation within each. The coat color of Arctic Foxes observed in south Norway, Arctic Fox skins from Stockholm Museum and foxes on photos encountered in litterature are described. Three distinct types of white foxes were found, judging from their summer pelage. One type had a grey dorsal side and a white ventral side, a second type had a brown dorsal side and a white ventral side with a yellowish band of varying broadness in between and the third type was nearly uniformly dark brown but with the characteristic white snout of the white fox. Based on winter pelage blue foxes could be classified into two main types. Some blue foxes were found to be dark grey or brownish grey, and would in some cases look nearly black. A second type of blue fox winter pelage had to a varying extent white hairs dispersed throughout, giving the fox a greyish or whitish appearance. Some blue foxes observed in spring had remains of white winter fur, probably caused by bleaching by the sun and wear from wind and snow of an original pale pelage. All blue foxes had a grey underfur and their summer pelage was uniformly brown.