View the WildCam

Photograph by Kennan Ward, Corbis

Grizzly Bear Female

(Ursus arctos)

Habitat: mountains, meadows, and valleys; home range 300 to 350 square miles (775 to 900 square kilometers)

Behavior/Rhythm: solitary unless with cubs; will gather together during the salmon run; hibernate during winter; leave den in April or May

Feeding: omnivorous; grizzlies eat everything from grasses and berries to nuts, grubs, fish, and small to large mammals

Breeding: sexual maturity at four to six years old; give birth while hibernating; average two cubs in a litter; may have a litter every three to four years throughout her life; cubs stay with their mother for two or three years before independence

Size: height three to five feet (one to one and a half meters); length five and a half to nine and a half feet (two to three meters); weight about 210 to 530 pounds (95 to 240 kilograms); bears are heaviest just before they hibernate and may lose a third of their body weight during hibernation

Lifespan: 25 to 30 years in the wild

Status: not listed as a protected species in Alaska; IUCN listed as lower risk, least concern; protected species under the Endangered Species Act; the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is reviewing their status in the Yellowstone ecosystem, where they may be de-listed

Photograph by Yva Momatiuk, Corbis

Grizzly Bear Cub

(Ursus arctos)

Habitat: mountains, meadows, and valleys

Behavior/Rhythm: dependent on mother

Feeding: nurse and drink their mother’s milk for as long as 30 months; as they grow, cubs learn from their mothers to eat everything from grasses and berries to nuts, grubs, fish, and small to large mammals; varied diet by five months old but still nursing

Breeding: born in winter during hibernation; typically two cubs in a litter; cubs stay with their mother until two or three years old and may continue to spend more time together before separating

Size: One pound (half kilogram) at birth; ten pounds (five kilograms) when they leave the den for the first time

Status: not listed as a protected species in Alaska; IUCN listed as lower risk, least concern; protected species under the Endangered Species Act; the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is reviewing their status in the Yellowstone ecosystem, where they may be de-listed

Photograph by Natalie Forbes, Corbis

Chum Salmon

(Oncorhynchus keta)

Habitat: northern Pacific Ocean and streams along coasts; salt water and fresh water

Behavior/Rhythm: born in fresh water; schools of young, called smolts, migrate to sea from spawning beds and make lengthy journeys back to spawning beds to reproduce

Feeding: insects, copepods, fish, squid

Breeding: females build nests in fresh water to spawn from July through August; as many as 7,000 eggs may be released in two to three batches; females may build more than one nest; both males and females die after spawning; adults return to spawning grounds when three to five years old

Size: length 40 inches (102 centimeters); weight eight to nine pounds (four kilograms); larger McNeil River chums can reach 10 to 12 pounds (five kilograms)

Lifespan: three to four years; chum salmon die after spawning

Status: unlisted

Photograph by Steve Kaufman, Corbis

Dolly Varden

(Salvelinus malma)

Habitat: northern Pacific Ocean, Arctic Ocean, streams along coasts; salt water and fresh water

Behavior/Rhythm: young live in streams for three to four years and then swim to the ocean to begin a two- to three-year migratory period where they overwinter in fresh water before returning to spawning grounds; some Dolly Varden are found in landlocked lakes and therefore do not migrate

Feeding: insects, snails, fish eggs, fish, invertebrates

Breeding: eggs fertilized in nest and may be released in a number of batches, leaving as many as 6,000 eggs; spawn from mid-August to November and hatch four to five months after fertilization; first spawn at age five or six; many males and females die after spawning, but some live to spawn again

Size: length 12 to 24 inches (30 to 61 centimeters); weight up to four pounds (two kilograms), but half to one pound (0.2 to 0.5 kilogram) is normal

Lifespan: about eight years in this part of Alaska

Status: unlisted

Photograph by Arthur Morris, Corbis

Glaucous–Winged Gull

(Larus glaucescens)

Habitat: North American Pacific coast; bays, beaches, mud flats, islands, and estuaries

Behavior/Rhythm: pair-bonded, nests in colonies that vary in size; diurnal

Feeding: carnivorous and scavenger; carrion, fish, invertebrates, garbage

Breeding: eggs laid in late May to July, two to three eggs incubated by both parents for about four weeks; chicks fledge at about six weeks

Size: wingspan 47 to 56 inches (119 to 142 centimeters); length 22 inches (56 centimeters); weight 35 ounces (992 grams); males larger than females

Lifespan: as long as 32 years

Status: least concern

Photograph by Joe McDonald, Corbis

Common Raven

(Corvus corax)

Habitat: highly adaptable, found in the Northern Hemisphere from Central America to the Arctic; forests and prairies; coastal environments; fields; cities

Behavior/Rhythm: pair-bonded, diurnal

Feeding: omnivorous and scavengers; eat insects, berries, nuts, rodents, small mammals, eggs, and newborn animals such as seals

Breeding: mate when at least two years old; three to seven eggs laid at a time; incubated for three weeks; able to fly when about one and a half months old and fledge the nest when three to four months old; parents have breeding territories

Size: wingspan four feet (one meter); length 22 to 27 inches (56 to 69 centimeters); weight three to four pounds (one to two kilograms); beak three inches (eight centimeters); largest perching bird in the world

Lifespan: as long as 13 years

Status: least concern

Photograph by W. Perry Conway, Corbis

Bald Eagle

(Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Habitat: United States, Canada, Mexico, as well as the French island territories of Saint Pierre and Miquelon; large bodies of water such as lakes, rivers, ocean areas

Behavior/Rhythm: migratory; mainly solitary but will aggregate to find food or shelter; can dive up to 100 miles an hour (161 kilometers an hour)

Feeding: primarily fish but will also eat small mammals, birds, and carrion

Breeding: monogamous; first breeds when four or five years old; lays an average of two eggs that are incubated for a little more than a month; both parents care for their chicks; chicks fledge when about two and a half months old

Size: wingspan seven feet (two meters); length 28 to 38 inches (71 to 97 centimeters); weight 7 to 14 pounds (three to six kilograms)

Lifespan: 20 to 30 years

Status: least concern; protected as a threatened species in the lower 48 states, except in Alaska, where it was never listed under the Endangered Species Act; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service considering removing the bald eagle from the list of threatened species in the lower 48 states