Wildlife viewing in Alaska includes an amazing array
of birds, whales, bears, moose, musk ox and more.
Experience Alaska's wildlife
first hand on a day trip or overnight stay at one of
several selected lodges
in or near Alaska's
spectacular National Parks.
Information about the Wildlife of Alaska
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Black bears
occur over most of
the forested areas
of Alaska except the
Seward Peninsula, on
the Yukon-Kuskokwim
Delta, or north of
the Brooks Range.
Black is the most
often encountered
color, but brown or
cinnamon bears are
often seen in
south-central Alaska
and the southeastern
mainland.
Brown /
Grizzly bears
occur throughout
Alaska except on the
islands south of
Frederick Sound in
southeastern Alaska,
the islands west of
Unimak in the
Aleutian Chain, and
the islands of the
Bering Sea. The term
“brown bear” is
commonly used to
refer to the members
of this species
found in coastal
areas where salmon
is the primary food
source. Brown bears
found inland are
often called
“grizzlies.”
Polar bears
and brown bears
evolved from a
common ancestor and
are still closely
related. Their
white color is a
result of the remote
arctic environment
and they inhabit the
northern hemisphere,
nearly always in
association with sea
ice. Due to
their remote
habitat, Polar bear
are not frequently
seen by visitors to
Alaska. |
Beluga
whales
belong to the group
known as toothed
whales which also
includes sperm
whales, killer
whales, dolphins,
and porpoises. The
common name is
derived from the
Russian word for
white. Belugas range
widely in arctic and
subarctic waters and
are often seen in
Cook Inlet near
Anchorage.
Humpback
whales are a
baleen whale most
frequently seen
swimming or feeding
close to shore along
the southern coast
of Alaska.
They tend to
concentrate in
several specific
areas including
Southeast Alaska,
Prince William
Sound, the area near
Kodiak and the
Barren Islands.
Whales that summer
in Alaska are
primarily from the
Hawaii Islands.
Orca
(Killer whale)
is the largest
member of the group
of marine mammals
known as dolphins
and are found
throughout the
marine waters of
Alaska. Orca are
commonly see from
Southeast Alaska
through the Aleutian
Islands and
northward into the
Chukchi and Beaufort
seas
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Marine Mammals
Sea Otters
are members of the
weasel family and
are related to mink
and river otters.
They live in shallow
waters along the
shores of the North
Pacific. Their fur,
which is possibly
the finest in the
world, consists of a
very dense underfur
of inch-long fibers
and sparse guard
hairs. Unlike
seals, which rely on
a heavy layer of
blubber for
protection against
the cold North
Pacific waters, sea
otters depend on air
trapped in their fur
for maintaining body
temperature.
Steller Sea
Lions are
the largest member
of the "eared
seal" family. Sea
lions differ from
hair seals (harbor
seals, ringed seals,
ribbon seals,
bearded seals, and
spotted seals) in
that sea lions have
external ears and
rear flippers which
turn forward
allowing them to
"walk" with a gait
similar to land
mammals. They are
called sea lions
because they
resemble the
terrestrial lion of
Africa and Asia.
Walrus
are members of a
widely distributed
group of marine
animals known as
pinnipeds (pinna,
a wing or fin; and
pedis, a
foot), that includes
seals and sea lions.
Walruses are the
largest pinnipeds in
arctic and subarctic
seas. and are
most commonly found
in relatively
shallow water areas,
close to ice or
land. Their
geographic range
completely encircles
the Polar Basin,
including the Bering
Sea. |
Land Mammals
Dall
Sheep
inhabit the
mountain ranges of
Alaska. The are
found in relatively
dry country and
frequent a special
combination of open
alpine ridges,
meadows, and steep
slopes with
extremely rugged
"escape terrain" in
the immediate
vicinity. They use
the ridges, meadows,
and steep slopes for
feeding and resting.
Caribou
live in the arctic
tundra, mountain
tundra, . There are
32 herds in Alaska .
A herd uses a
calving area that is
separate from the
calving areas of
other herds, but
different herds may
mix together on
winter ranges.
Caribou are the only
member of the deer
family in which both
sexes grow antlers.
Moose
is the world's
largest member of
the deer family. The
Alaska race is the
largest of all the
moose and live in
suitable habitat
from the Stikine
River near Wrangell
to the Colville
River on the Arctic
Slope. They are most
abundant in recently
burned areas that
contain willow and
birch shrubs, on
timberline plateaus,
and along the major
rivers of
Southcentral and
Interior Alaska.
Muskox
is called omingmak
meaning “the animal
with skin like a
beard” by
Inupiaq-speaking
Eskimos, a reference
to the long guard
hair that hangs
nearly to the
ground. Taxonomists
now classify
muskoxen with the
sheep and goats. The
closest living
relative of the
muskox is the takin,
a large goat-like
animal which is
found in the
Himalayas. Muskoxen
as a species have
changed little since
the ice age and are
perfectly adapted to
live in their harsh
arctic environment.
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Birds
Alaska is home to a
huge variety of
birds – 471 species
have been positively
identified to date –
which makes the 49th
state a paradise for
birders and a
destination for many
who hope to see
rarities like the
Bluethroat,
Whiskered Auklet,
and Bristle-Thighed
Curlew.
Common species
include Accipiters,
American Dipper,
Boreal Owl,
Canada Goose,
Chickadees, Common
Raven, Eagles Eiders
, Geese, Great Gray
Owl, Grouse, Gulls,
Harlequin Duck,
Loons, Northern Hawk
Owl, Osprey, Peeps &
Sandpipers,
Phalaropes, Plovers,
Ptarmigan, Puffins,
Sandhill Crane,
Sparrows, Swans,
Terns, Woodpeckers,
Yellowlegs.
Bird Watching Tour
to the Pribilof
Islands |
Other Animals of
Interest
Because they are
shy and unobtrusive
animals, people
think that wolf and
lynx are scarce.
Wolves
inhabit 85 percent
of Alaska's 586,000
square-mile area.
Wolves are adaptable
and exist in a wide
variety of habitats
extending from the
rain forests of the
Southeast Panhandle
to the arctic tundra
along the Beaufort
Sea. Although the
distribution of
wolves has remained
relatively constant
in recent times,
their abundance has
varied considerably
as prey
availability,
diseases, and
harvests have
influenced their
numbers.
Lynx
is the only cat
native to Alaska and
inhabit most of
Alaska except the
Aleutian islands,
Kodiak archipelago,
the islands of the
Bering Sea and some
islands of Prince
William Sound and
Southeast Alaska.
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Alaska Wildlife
on Land & Sea
