Great Land of Alaska - Land Animals

Black Bear

Bears will hunt or forage for food, but they are opportunisic feeders and will take advantage of a dumpster--such as this one located near the apartment I lived at in Chugiak--if it contains something that smells good.

Brown Bear

See the little brown spot below the pond? Believe me, that really is a brown bear. The Brown Bear (also knows as the Grizzly Bear, depending upon where it lives) is the world's largest land-dwelling omnivore. It seems just as happy eating berries as eating fresh moose meat.

Caribou

Caribou inhabit open and semi-open areas where they forage for their food, grasses and lichens. They are the only members of the deer family in which both males and females grow antlers.

Dall Sheep

Dall Sheep in habits many of the mountains of southcentral Alaska. They are a popular sight among tourists along a section of the Seward Highway where they often come down to the highway. The are very sure-footed and seem to have no trouble climbing up and down the steep rocky mountain sides.

Hoary Marmot

The Hoary Marmot is the largest member of the squirrel family. They are usually found high in the mountains above the treeline where they make their homes by burrowing into the ground.

Moose

Of all the large wildlife living in Alaska, the moose is the one you're most likely to see, especially in and around Anchorage since it's been estimated that there's approximately 1,000 moose living in the Anchorage bowl. It's not unusual to come upon moose quite often while driving around. As you can see in the second picture, a moose always gets the right of way, even when jaywalking.

Musk Ox

Musk Ox, once plentiful in Alaska, were completely wiped out by hunters in the 1800's. Since then, Musk Ox from other parts of the world have been transplanted to the wilds of Alaska and their numbers are steadily increasing. This Musk Ox here isn't a wild one, but lives on a farm in Palmer where their valuable Qiviut (fine hair) is used to make clothing.

Squirrel

Squirrels are common in Alaska. They live wild in the forests but many have taken to living in and around towns where they will greedily raid bird feeders whenever they have the chance.

Arctic Ground Squirrel

Arctic Ground Squirrels often occupy the same sort of environment as the Hoary Marmot--high in the mountains above the treeline. They are much smaller than a marmot and lack the characteristic bushy tail that most people think of when they think of squirrels.

Wolf print

I've seen only two wolves in Alaska--one was little more than a shadow that I saw at night and the other was a blur as I passed it on the highway in the evening. This wolf print is the closest I've come to seeing a wolf in the daylight. The coin shown for size comparison is an American quarter.