United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Type for Vulpes lagopus pribilofensis
Collection: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Division of Mammals
Sex/Stage: Male;
Preparation: Skin; Skull
Collector(s): C. Merriam
Year Collected: 1891
Locality: St. George Island, Bering Sea, Pribilof Islands, Alaska, United States, North America

Comments: Treeless coastal areas (JNDAFG01AKUS).

Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Comments: Adaptable to changes in available food source (omnivorous). Nonterritorial in winter: move large distances, utilizing sea ice, to obtain food.

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N3 - Vulnerable

Rounded Global Status Rank: T3 - Vulnerable

Reasons: Moderate threats exist from trapping; high rate of mortality during first year; humans are the only significant predator on island; trend and abundance information is needed for rank clarification (may lower rank to T4).

Degree of Threat: B : Moderately threatened throughout its range, communities provide natural resources that when exploited alter the composition and structure of the community over the long-term, but are apparently recoverable

Comments: Threats include: 1) high rate of mortality during first year 2) fur is economically important 3) habitat development. At present, development activities are primarily directed toward construction of a major harbor and port facility in Village Cove. Anticipated development includes: expansion of industrial processing facilities both within and near the harbor area; new commercial ventures including a chandlery, expanded support services, increased uses and trespass on traditional subsistence and recreation land, and expansion of air transport facilities and services (U86BRA02AKUS). Additional future developments may also include expansion of the OCS support services for oil and gas extraction activities. Current land use plans indicate that these developments will occur primarily in the immediate vicinity of the village and harbor and along a development corridor between the village and the airport (U86BRA02AKUS). Impacts of these activities on fox population are unknown.