Little Ice Age led to migration of island hopping arctic foxes

Little Ice Age led to migration of island hopping arctic foxes. The Little Ice Age allowed a new wave of arctic foxes to colonise Iceland, according to new research. A "bridge" of sea ice appeared during a dip in temperatures between 200 to 500 years ago allowing arctic foxes to migrate to Iceland from different Arctic regions including Russia, North America and Greenland. The research, led by scientists at Durham University, UK, said their findings showed the importance of sea ice in creating and maintaining the genetic population of the arctic fox across the polar regions where the animal is found. The multi-disciplinary approach used for this project could also be used to track the migration of other animals found on remote islands, the researchers said. While Iceland's approximately 10,000 strong arctic fox population is not at risk, the researchers added that increasing isolation from the rest of the Arctic, caused by warmer temperatures and a lack of sea ice, could further differentiate the island's population from their mainland relatives. Ancient arctic foxes also crossed sea ice during previous ice ages to reach Iceland well before human settlement in the 9^th Century.