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Ecology Of The Arctic Fox In Northern And Western Alaska Item Type Thesis Authors Chesemore, David Lee Download date 26/09/2021 00:11:53 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/8257 MASTER'S THESIS M-1372 CHESEMORE, David Lee ECOLOGY OF THE ARCTIC FOX IN NORTHERN AND WESTERN ALASKA. University of Alaska, M.S., 1967 Agriculture, forestry and wildlife University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ECOLOGY OF THE ARCTIC FOX IN NORTHERN AND WESTERN ALASKA __ A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE By David Lee Chesemore, B. S. College, Alaska May, 1967 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ECOLOGY OF THE ARCTIC FOX IN NORTHERN AND W ESTERN ALASK A APPROVED: Chairman Department Head APPROVED: ______DATE /£ /?/7 . j A ^ -__ ___ Dean of the Collegege ofof BiologicalBiological / / ' Sciences and Renewable Resources AU«. Vice President for Research and Advanced Study Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT The economic importance of the white fox in Barrow Village and its ecology on the Teshekpuk Lake Section of the Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska, were studied from July, 1961, through May, 1963, and from September, 1966, through January, 1967. White fox pelts are economically prime from December to April with the best pelts being taken in January and February. In Alaska high fox populations occur on an average of every 3. 6 years with correspond ing lows every 3. 9 years. Alaska's fox cycle is equal in duration but not in phase with that of other northern areas. Peak fox populations are naturally associated with lemming highs since they are the primary fox food throughout the year with sea mammals and caribou also important throughout the year. Birds and their eggs form a large part of the fox diet in summer. Depth to permafrost and soil texture govern fox den location in ice- core mounds with a minimum mound height of 1 m necessary for a successful den. Grasses dominate den vegetation, replacing typical dry tundra plants common in other areas. Since 1929 a. steady decline of white fox pelt value and total harvest has occurred throughout Alaska. Although the potential for a large harvest still exists in the region studied, today fox trapping has little impact on Barrow's economy. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Financial support for this study was provided by Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration, Project W-6-R-3, Work Plan No. G, Job No. 5, and administered through the Alaska Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, University of Alaska, College. Logistic support during field work was provided by the Office of Naval Research through the A rctic Research Laboratory, Barrow, Alaska. Many persons have helped me develop this study from its initial planning stages to final thesis form: For this help, I would like to sincerely thank Mr. Robert F. Scott, who first proposed the white fox study; Dr. James S. Lindzey, for his evaluation and guidance during the early phases of the work; Dr. David R. Klein, for his valuable suggestions and patient, critical review of the final draft of the thesis; Dr. Frederick C. Dean, Dr. James E. Morrow, and Dr. L. Gerard Swartz, for their reviews and comments on various sections of the thesis; Dr. Vernon L. Harms and Dr. Leslie A. Viereck, for their identifications of vascular plants and lichens; Dr. Francis H. Fay and Dr. Robert L. Rausch, Arctic Health Research Center, Anchorage, for their help with fox autopsy techniques and parasite identification; and Dr. Torcom Chorbajian, for his aid in statistical analysis of material in the den ecology section. iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Special thanks are due to: Mr. Max Brewer and his competent A. R. L. staff, particularly Pete Sovalik, Chester Lampe, Jimmy Ningeak, Bill Brower, and Charlie Edwardson for their support during field work; the late Dr. Otto W. Geist, for sharing his knowledge of Alaska's north and its people with a beginning biologist; Nate and Sadie Nayokok, Tom Brower, and A1 Hopson, for their warm hospitality and sharing with me their considerable knowledge of Barrow Village and life on the arctic coast; Mr. Dwain Davies, for his help during the summer field work and the initial analysis of data; Mr. John Trent, for his "bug-room" operations in preparation of fox skeletal materials; Mr. Grant Lortie, for his drafting skills; and Mrs. Mary Krogstie, for her interest and care in typing the final copy of this thesis. Special recognition is given to my wife, Jan, for her patience, good-humor, and unfailing support during all phases of the study. Without her aid, this thesis could never have been written. Scientific nomenclature follows that of Anderson (1959), Hall and Kelson (1959), and the American Ornithologists1 Union (1957). v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION........................................................................................... 1 FOSSIL R E C O R D ....................................................................................... 4 CLASSIFICATION..................................... 5 DISTRIBUTION........................................................................................... 6 DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY A R E A ............................................. 9 Physiography ......................................................................................................9 Geology and Soils ............................................................................... 12 Climate and W eather ........................................................................ 16 V eg eta tion .......................................................................................... 20 HISTORY OF THE ALASKAN WHITE FOX FUR INDUSTRY . 23 PRESENT STATUS IN ALASKA............................................................ 32 Harvest S ta tis tic s ............................................................................ 32 Distribution of Harvest. ..................................................... 35 Harvest on the Arctic S lope ........................................................ 35 Value of White Fox F u rs ................................................................ 37 Economic Importance of the White F o x .................................. 39 ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE AT BARROW VILLAGE, ALASKA 43 Description of Barrow Village ..................................................... 43 Economic Structure of Barrow V illage .................................. 47 Trends in Barrow Village's Economy ...................................... 54 Importance of White Fox in the Barrow E conom y ............... 55 PELAGE AND PRIMING SEQUENCE................................................. 60 Dichromatism ................................................................................... 60 Seasonal Pelage Patterns ............................................................ 61 Pup P e la g e .......................................................................................... 6 1 Adult Summer P e l a g e .................................................................... 62 Adult Winter P e la g e ........................................................................ 63 vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PELAGE AND PRIMING SEQUENCE (Continued) Page Factors Influencing Priming ......................................................... 64 Physical Features of Barrow Pelts . .............................. 64 Applicability of Present Trapping Regulations ................... 65 REPRODUCTION AND BIOTIC POTEN TIAL .............................. 68 POPULATION DYNAMICS.................................................................... 71 MOVEMENTS AND MIGRATIONS..................................................... 73 Seasonal Movements ........................................................................ 73 M igrations ................................................ 74 Care of Young and Pup D isp ersa l .............................................. 75 DEN ECOLOGY........................................................................................... ' 11 Aerial Search for Fox Dens ......................................................... 77 Den Frequency and Occupancy ..................................................... 78 Den Site Topography ........................................................................ 80 External Den Characteristics ..................................................... 83 Den Site Soil C h a ra cteristics ..................................................... 84 Permafrost Depth ............................................................................ 86 Den Site Soil T em peratures ......................................................... 89 Den Site Vegetation ........................................................................ 89 FOOD H A B IT S .......................... 95 Summer Food Habits........................................................................ 97 Winter Food H abits.......................................................................