Alaska - Climate - Britannica

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Plant and animal life

Boreal forest in Alaska
Boreal forest in AlaskaBoreal forest, Alaska, U.S., dominated by spruce trees (Picea).(more)

The panhandle and southern islands are covered with Sitka spruce, hemlock, some Alaskan cedar, and other evergreens. The interior is dominated by black spruce (Picea mariana) and white spruce (P. glauca), which form the climax forest (a stable forest community that has adapted to its natural environmental succession). Birch, willow, and aspen trees are also prevalent in the interior.

Northern fur seal1 of 3
Northern fur sealNorthern fur seal bull (Callorhinus ursinus) presiding over his harem on St. Paul, Pribilof Islands, Alaska.(more)
A wildlife filmmaker's close encounters with black bears2 of 3
A wildlife filmmaker's close encounters with black bearsFilming Alaska's black bears (Ursus americanus) in their natural habitat.(more)See all videos for this article
Musk oxen3 of 3
Musk oxenMusk oxen in the snow, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, northeastern Alaska, U.S.(more)

The islands of the Bering Sea represent a small but unique Arctic maritime environment, typified by St. Lawrence, Nunivak, and St. Matthew islands and the Pribilof group. Those tundra-covered islands are surrounded by sea ice in winter and serve as protected refuges for the world’s largest herds of fur-bearing seals and sea otters, as well as sea lions and walrus. A protected group of musk oxen inhabit Nunivak Island.

Caribou1 of 2
CaribouA herd of caribou migrating, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.(more)
Alaska: moose2 of 2
Alaska: mooseMoose cow (Alces alces) with her two calves in the taiga of Alaska.(more)

The interior, particularly Denali National Park and Preserve, has an abundance of wildlife, including brown and grizzly bears, caribou (reindeer), wolves, and moose. The North Slope is home to large herds of caribou in the summer. Those caribou migrate from south of the Brooks Range to the Arctic coastal plain for breeding; there, constant winds eliminate insects, and the caribou can see its enemy, the wolf, at a great distance. Large numbers of migratory birds nest in both the interior and on the Arctic coastal plain.

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