DEN USE BY ARCTIC FOXES (ALOPEX-LAGOPUS) IN A SUB-ARCTIC REGION OF WESTERN ALASKA

Distribution, abundance, and use of arctic fox dens located in coastal tundra communities of the Yukon-Kuskokwim delta were determined in st udies from 1985 to 1990. Dens were denser and less complex than those described in studies conducted above the Arctic Circle. Eighty-three d ens of varying complexity were found in the 52-km(2) study area. Ninet een dens were used by arctic foxes for whelping or rearing pups. Three females relocated litters to multiple dens; a maximum of four dens we re used concurrently by pups from one litter. Although red foxes (Vulp es vulpes) were common in the region, their use of dens in the study a rea was minimal. Differences in vegetation at den sites and nearby uno ccupied sites were minimal. Furthermore, den sites could not be distin guished from non-den sites during aerial surveys.