Alaska is bigger than most people picture, and a lot of it belongs to the animals. Here are five of the wild neighbors that make the state feel so alive, and what makes each one special.
Moose
The moose is the largest member of the deer family, and Alaska is home to some of the biggest. You can spot them in willow thickets, along rivers and sometimes right at the edge of town. Bulls grow wide, heavy antlers every year and drop them again in winter.
Brown bears
Alaska is one of the few places in the country where brown bears still live in large numbers. In summer, they gather at salmon streams to fatten up for the long winter. Bears are best enjoyed from a respectful distance.
Lynx
The Canada lynx lives in Alaska’s northern forests. It is a quiet, shy cat with tufted ears and wide, furry paws that work like snowshoes. Lynx depend on snowshoe hares for much of their food, so their numbers rise and fall with the hares.
Polar bears
Polar bears live along Alaska’s far northern coast, where the sea ice gives them a place to hunt seals. Their white-looking coats help them blend into the snow and ice.
Wolves
Wolves live in packs and travel over huge areas of forest, tundra and mountains. They are rarely seen, but a night of howling is a sound many visitors never forget.
Bringing a little of Alaska home
We love these animals so much that they show up in our designs. If you want a bit of the north on your shelf, your couch or your coffee break, take a look at our lynx and polar bear pieces.
Which Alaska animal is your favorite? Tell us, and we may draw it next.
