Terrestrial Mammals on Islands Located in the Pechora Sea

Abstract

The characteristics of the distribution and ecology of the terrestrial mammals on Kolguev, Vaygach and Dolgii islands located in the Pechora Sea are presented. The data of the field surveys carried out in these regions during the summer and winter seasons in 2001–2017 served as a material underlying this work. Overall, nine species of the terrestrial mammals were recorded, while only two of them, the Arctic fox (Alopex lagopus (Linnaeus 1758)) and the polar bear (Ursus maritimus (Phipps 1774)) can be found in all the explored insular land areas. The climatic and geographical features of these territories determine the diversity of terrestrial mammals on the islands. The main summer diet of the Arctic fox includes birds and their nestlings and egg clutches in the absence of the small mammals on the islands. A close relation between the reproductive success of this predator on Dolgii Island and the anseriformes spring migration period is established. The red fox (Vulpes vulpes (Linnaeus 1758)) on Kolguev Island is a species with a sparse breeding population. Data on the sedentary patterns for this species on other Eurasian islands within the tundra zone are unavailable. Kolguev Island is probably a single Arctic insular land area forming a part of the breeding ground for the red fox in Eurasia. The reduction in the period for the sea ice extent and the decline in the sea ice cover in the southeastern part of the Barents Sea, observed over the last decade, can affect the migration routes of the polar bear toward the Pechora Sea and the reindeer (Rangifer tarandus (Linnaeus 1758)) inhabiting the Novaya Zemlya archipelago to Vaygach Island.