Ever wonder how arctic foxes communicate? I have and that is this week's blog.
The arctic fox, also referred to as the polar fox, is indigenous to the Northern Hemisphere. The fox can live in a variety of locations because it is an nomad. Only during the spring do arctic foxes find dens to have their pups.
Pups? Yes pups. They are in the Canidae Family; same as dogs and wolves. In turn, they communicate the same as our "loyal best friend" by a barking yowl, yelping, and a high-pitched whine. Communication is a rarity. They have been found to only communicate during the mating season and when they have pups.
How so? Well, according to the Animal Behaviorist, Louis Dorfman, "The voice of the arctic fox is a sound rarely heard except during the breeding season. Courting foxes communicate with a barking yowl that may be heard over a great distance. Adults also yelp to warn their pups of danger and give a high-pitched undulating whine when disputing territorial claims with neighboring foxes."
http://www.louisdorfman.com/species/arctic_foxes.html
I find this animal intriguing because they are beautiful and tough. They are built to adapt with their thick fur that sheds and changes color in the spring. They are scavengers, yet can hunt voles and birds.
They are small, but mighty. =)
Posted by: Em Arsenault (7)
I agree these animals are interesting, super cute as well. Are the nomadic because they are following a food source, or is it a climate thing?
ReplyDeleteDo they communicate so minimally to avoid the risk of being heard by predators?
Posted by Emily Nobrega
These animals are very interesting and adorable. I like how important communication is in the animal kingdom. Almost all animals communicate in some way even unexpected ones, like the caterpillar. Communication is a foundation that almost all animals share.
ReplyDeletePosted by Noelle Kellicker
Hi Em,
ReplyDeleteFrom the pictures you have shown, these arctic foxes look so cute but are they aggressive as wolves can be or are they as nice as a dog can be? Where do they stand on the phylogenetic tree? Can these foxes be domesticated? I know in last week's post that some species of foxes can be domesticated.
Posted by Whitney Huynh
I’m not surprised that these foxes communicate in a fashion similar to dogs given their evolutionary relationship. However, I find it interesting that these creatures rarely communicate outside of the breeding season. Are these foxes preyed on, if so, is that the cause of the silence during the off-season? Or perhaps they are able to communicate at a frequency we can not hear thus we have a false belief that they are not communicating outside of the mating season.
ReplyDeletePosted by James Lin
Have always liked wolves, and these look like little fluffy wolves, so what's not to like? I do find their lack of vocal communcication interesting. Do they use a lot of body movements or scents to get messages across? Or do they live as 'lone wolves' and not in packs, making communication with others unnecessary? It seems not communicatin on a regular basis could only hurt them. Perhaps they have a lot of predators that locate thier prey based on sound.
ReplyDeletePosted by Austin Gray
Foxes are indeed such fascinating animals, cute, survivable, and oftentimes quite prolific. Personally, I find the Fennec fox to be the most intriguing. Besides its comical appearance and squeaky voice, it is also very well adapted to its environment. And the Russian Domestic Silver Fox is equally interesting. As the breed was domesticated it began to show more traits in common with dogs. The fox's physiology began to change to become more dog-like, and it even began barking. All in all, foxes are very adaptable.
ReplyDeletePosted by Jacob Lane
It's interesting that the Arctic Wolves don't communicate vocally that often. Do you know if adult wolves live in packs or are they usually found independently? If they are found independently developing complex communication skills would be wasteful, so it would make sense that they lack these skills.
ReplyDeletePosted by Janelle Hayes
I think one thing in this article is of particularly significant. That is that these animals only communicate during mating season and the spring. Given what we have learned in class thus far it seems amazing to me that this animal can get by without having to communicate for a large portion of the year.
ReplyDeletePosted by Michael Thomas
I wonder what hormonal changes occur that allow the foxes to communicate vocally for mating. We can assume that there is a big increase in testosterone but does that effect any of the vocal organs to better produce the sound. Also is the call hardwired in the brain?
ReplyDeletePosted by Jobin
These are very cute little pups. These would certainly not be hit hard with extinction since they have the cuteness factor working in their favor. I wonder if their communication in other times of the year are none verbal or at high frequencies that we cannot hear. It might be that we have not figured out how they communicate.
ReplyDeletePosted by Caroline Adams