Food Availability and Food Hoarding Behaviour by Red and Arctic Foxes

Sklepkovych, Bohdan; Montevecchi, William A.

doi:10.14430/arctic1199

Cited by 32 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Foxes employ both 'scatter hoarding' (hiding single items of prey at dispersed sites) and 'larder hoarding' (hiding many prey items near the den site). Most of the hoarding is associated with superabundance of prey, such as in the vicinity of bird-cliffs -the largest documented Arctic fox larder contained no less than 136 sea birds (Sklepkovych and Montevecchi, 1996). Such hoarding is also normal for ermines, which have been found to hoard 150 lemmings in one of several deposits (Johnsen, 1969).…”

Section: Hoarding Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptations to polar life in mammals and birds

Blix

2016

Journal of Experimental Biology

139

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This Review presents a broad overview of adaptations of truly Arctic and Antarctic mammals and birds to the challenges of polar life. The polar environment may be characterized by grisly cold, scarcity of food and darkness in winter, and lush conditions and continuous light in summer. Resident animals cope with these changes by behavioural, physical and physiological means. These include responses aimed at reducing exposure, such as 'balling up', huddling and shelter building; seasonal changes in insulation by fur, plumage and blubber; and circulatory adjustments aimed at preservation of core temperature, to which end the periphery and extremities are cooled to increase insulation. Newborn altricial animals have profound tolerance to hypothermia, but depend on parental care for warmth, whereas precocial mammals are well insulated and respond to cold with non-shivering thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue, and precocial birds shiver to produce heat. Most polar animals prepare themselves for shortness of food during winter by the deposition of large amounts of fat in times of plenty during autumn. These deposits are governed by a sliding set-point for body fatness throughout winter so that they last until the sun reappears in spring. Polar animals are, like most others, primarily active during the light part of the day, but when the sun never sets in summer and darkness prevails during winter, high-latitude animals become intermittently active around the clock, allowing opportunistic feeding at all times. The importance of understanding the needs of the individuals of a species to understand the responses of populations in times of climate change is emphasized.

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Section: Hoarding Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptations to polar life in mammals and birds

Blix

2016

Journal of Experimental Biology

139

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“…Red and Arctic foxes thus store prey, particularly seabird carcasses, in the winter (Fay & Stephenson 1989, Sklepkovych & Montevecchi 1996, but storage of marine invertebrates as winter food resources has not yet been reported.…”

Section: Why Would Terrestrial Mammals Utilize the Intertidal Zone Asmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maritime mammals: terrestrial mammals as consumers in marine intertidal communities

Carlton¹,

Hodder²

2003

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

150

100

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The phenomenon of terrestrial mammals as predators in marine intertidal communities, and thus as agents of energy transfer from sea to land, is poorly understood. We review here the evidence for terrestrial mammals intentionally entering the ocean shore at low tide in order to prey on living marine invertebrates, fish, algae, and seagrasses. We introduce the term 'maritime mammals', defined as coastal mammalian predators that utilize living intertidal energy resources and transfer these resources to the land. We document 135 records of predation among 45 species of terrestrial mammals in 8 orders feeding in marine intertidal zones. Most predation events are by carnivores (59%, mostly by raccoon, mink, black bear, and Arctic fox), followed by rodents (20%) and artiodactyls (14%). Maritime mammals occur on all continental coastlines of the world except Antarctica. Most records are from the Eastern North Pacific Ocean, with 21 species of maritime mammals. Twelve maritime mammal species occur in the Western North Atlantic Ocean, and 8 maritime mammals are known for the Eastern South Pacific Ocean. These 3 regions account for 42% of the diversity of maritime mammals. A total of 228 different prey taxa are known to be consumed, representing 12 phyla of marine organisms; 2 /3 of these taxa are bivalve and gastropod mollusks, crabs, and fish. Introduced populations of 17 species of mammals have been recorded as maritime predators; 15 of these are recorded on islands where endemic mammals were absent or rare. Maritime mammals are widespread globally, with often repeated cases of predation being observed for the same species. We suggest that predation by maritime mammals is a rarely studied, rather than rare, phenomenon, and maritime mammals are thus a largely overlooked guild of intertidal predators. Quantitative field observations (using techniques such as infrared night vision, radiotelemetry, and stable isotope analysis) and experimental studies (using exclosures, or by taking advantage of the removal of insular introduced mammal populations) are required. The importance of intertidal resources in supplying energy to terrestrial populations of many species of mammals world wide may have been underappreciated.

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“…In 1989, carcasses of adult seabirds were located in the den of a male fox. Other adult puffin carcasses were scattered around a temporary den, and some were partially buried (Sklepkovych and Montevecchi, 1996). The effects on seabirds at Funk Island in 1989 appeared less devastating than those in 2009, with no evidence of nest abandonment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Anomalous sea ice in 2009 provided ideal conditions for the arctic fox to take advantage of the abundant food supply at Funk Island. The only other known occurrence of an arctic fox on Funk Island was documented in 1989 (Sklepkovych and Montevecchi, 1996), when spring sea ice similarly advanced farther south than normal (1962 -87) and retreated north later in the spring (Prinsenberg and Peterson, 1992). In 1989, carcasses of adult seabirds were located in the den of a male fox.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%