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Wildlife & Nature

 The Wanderer

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An Alaska Wolf’s Final Journey On the peaks above the Coleen and Sheenjek Rivers, where patches of bare ground dotted the south-facing hillsides and meltwater plunged toward both rivers, hardy Pasque flowers swayed in the breeze. Golden eagles, having returned from southern wintering areas, circled the summits seeking ptarmigan camouflaged in the rocks. A few ground squirrels, fresh out of hibernation, skittered their alarm calls as the wolf trotted by on the trails carved by migrating caribou. The wind carried the scent of grizzly bears, awake from their long winter sleep. Now the wolf had more competition to consider; the scent of winterkill was irresistible to bears and wolves alike.  By now the Wanderer had already traversed the territory of many other wolves, crossing the tracks and trails of hunting wolves several times on his journey into the snowy mountains. Each time, he stopped to investigate the scent, looking for…

Old Otis in his office. Otis remains a fan favorite at Brooks Falls in Katma
Authentic Alaska

Of All the Bears I’ve Loved Before

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A history of my favorite bears There’s Otis and Grazer (featured in our July/August issue) and a bear that guides used to call “Old Sow” until someone said that wasn’t very nice, and they changed it to Looper. At one point I thought a bear was named Starbucks, which I kind of liked, but evidently, I heard it wrong. His name was Scar Butt, which makes sense when you see him. There’s Crimp Ear and Broken Ear and Foster Mom. Also, Peanut, Lefty, Sister, Agro, Blondie, Holly, Backpack, and 747 (like the jumbo jet—you get the picture). And then there are ones I’ve named by watching them: Snorkel, Social Services, Yoga Bear. You might think I’m talking about characters in a Disney movie, but nope, these are monikers of Alaska’s bears—bestowed upon them by rangers, biologists, visitors, and guides over years and miles. It’s also possible that when bears traverse…

Arctic fox
30-Second Reads

Species Profile

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Arctic Fox Joins Seasonal Changes in Alaska The arctic fox is a lively and iconic resident of the north. It lives across treeless coastal areas from the Aleutians to the northern arctic coast and east to the Canadian border. Arctic foxes in the Aleutian and Pribilof islands have a blue color phase that is dark or charcoal colored year-round, although it is lighter in winter. Arctic foxes elsewhere in the state are brown in summer but by November sport a luxurious white winter coat. The arctic fox is a different species than the slightly larger red fox, which is found more broadly across Alaska. Both foxes are omnivorous, but due to its tundra habitat, the arctic fox’s diet often relies on small mammals, including lemmings and tundra voles, nesting seabirds such as puffins and murres, or sometimes berries, eggs, and carrion.

Wildlife & Nature

The Shaggy Saga of Alaska’s Muskox

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Bull muskox spar by butting heads, sometimes running at each other full bore before colliding. Four inches of horn and three inches of bone protect the brain from injury during this violent contact. The first time I encountered muskox in the wild I felt as spectacular as Tom Cruise dancing around in his underwear and football helmet in the movie Risky Business. I was skiing across the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in March as mountains and the coastal plain glowed blue in the winter light. ANWR, long known as the battleground between wilderness and oil lovers, is the sort of place you can slow dance with your inner Frankenstein without the judgement of others. Better yet, it’s one of a handful of regions in Alaska you can see muskox. A herd of 15 grazed on a windswept rise above a frozen river ahead of me. A bull hoofed at…

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