ARE RABBITS APEX PREDATORS FULL

Read our full guide to find out more about what arctic foxes eat. This can include berries, seaweed, carcasses, and feces of other animals. They are considered to be opportunistic omnivores as they will eat almost anything they can get hold of. Whereas those that live in coastal areas will prey on seabirds, fish and other marine invertebrates bought in by the sea. Those that live inland will have a diet of small mammals, mainly rodents such as lemmings and voles. The diet of arctic foxes varies depending upon their habitat although can be roughly segregated into inland and coastal diets. They have many tunnels to evade predators and will protect their young in here too. This is why they dig dens which they can quickly hide in. However, aerial attacks are harder to defend and a golden eagle will easily win in the open space. If they do encounter predators such as a polar bear, they are easily able to outrun it with a top speed of 50kph compared to the polar bears 40kph 14 (source: Sealife). Being part of the candid family means their hearing is second-to-none so they will quickly scarper when they hear predators. They are able to blend in with the landscape and remain very still. What Does an Arctic Fox Do When it Meets a Predator?Īrctic foxes do their best to avoid being seen by predators.

Although, native locals still hunt arctic wolves so that they can use their fur for warmth. However, according to WWF 13 (source: WWF), this has become less of an issue as demand for fur has drastically decreased in recent times. Arctic foxes are also known to eat the eggs of snowy owls and on rare occasions have been known to kill owls themselves.Īlthough humans don’t tend to hunt arctic foxes for food, they have been a huge target in the past for their fur. However, it works both ways between these two competitors. This Youtube video shows footage captured of a snowy owl and an arctic fox seemingly playing with one another, but in fact, they are defending their territoryĪccording to the Swedish Arctic Fox Project 12 (source: National Geographic), snowy owls are very tough and will usually win this battle with no problem killing arctic fox kits. Although, when food is in short supply they are forced to compete with one another. Both snowy owls and arctic foxes are competing predators for lemmings and other small rodents so they will try to get rid of the competition if possible.Īs these harsh and cold environments require conservation of energy, they will often act passively to one another. Snowy owls are predators of the arctic fox for similar reasons to the red fox mentioned above. However, they have been observed taking carcasses from fox dens and will often be mobbed by foxes 9 (source: Foraging Behaviours of Wolverines at a Large Arctic Goose Colony, Arctic, Vol. Wolverines are also considered to be opportunistic carnivores like arctic wolves although they are rarely seen so their behaviors are not well documented. Wolverines are very different from wolves because they are part of the weasel family rather than the candid family like wolves and arctic foxes. However, studies have also found them to eat arctic fox pups, arctic hare, lemming, and caribou 7 (source: Exploring the diet of arctic wolves at their northern range limit, Canadian Journal of Zoology, Oct 2017) 8 (source: Diet of Arctic Wolves on Banks and Northwest Victoria Islands 1992-2001, Larter, 2013). They can do this as they hunt in packs to capture their prey. However, they are carnivores and typically feed on larger mammals such as muskoxen and caribou. Similar to arctic foxes, wolves are also part of the candid family of animals. This is less suitable for arctic foxes and favors the red fox.īecause these two species of fox are competing for prey resources, the red foxes attack the arctic foxes which is known as intraguild predation, this has the dual benefit for red foxes as they can feed upon the arctic foxes and can eliminate competitors for their prey.Īrctic foxes are unable to breed within approximately 8km of a red fox den as the red foxes will kill their young 4 (source: The Biology and Conservation of Wild Canids, Macdonald and Claudio Sillero-Zubiri, 2004). The rising temperatures have allowed more plant species to spread north which has resulted in large parts of the tundra turning to forest areas. Due to climate change, the camouflage of the arctic fox is less effective in areas where snow cover has reduced so the red foxes are becoming more dominant 3 (source: Climate Change Biology, Lee Hannah, 2011).

Although part of the same family, red foxes are now the greatest predators of the arctic fox and one of the reasons they are endangered in some regions 2 (source: ICUN Red List, 2009).

Are rabbits apex predators