The Wildlife of Denali
Aug. 9-15, 2008



Dall sheep







Dall sheep in their natural environment - high up on the sides of the mountains. To spot them, look for little white blotches that don't quite look like snow. The initial purpose for establishing Denali National Park was to protect the Dall sheep, since they are rather unique and indigenous to this area.

Dall ram






We did not see the Dall sheep down low, so this fuzzy picture was the best I could do with my telephoto lens. Maybe I should have put in the effort to hike higher. I have been told that they are very curious and will come to you if you sit quietly on a high ridge and wait.

marmot







Another creature of the high country is the marmot, but this one came down to our level.

marmot






Another marmot, "catching some rays" on what the bus drivers call "Marmot Rock", since he is often out there basking in the sunshine.

Willow Ptarmigan






The willow ptarmigan is the official bird of the state of Alaska. It turns pure white in the winter to escape detection.

Willow Ptarmigan






Another willow ptarmigan with her chick.

golden eagles





A couple of golden eagles silhouetted against the sky. The two eagles seemed to be either fighting or playing; one had something that the other wanted and caused the first eagle to drop it. It was interesting watching them circle and maneuver around each other.

ground squirrel





A regal looking ground squirrel hoping for a handout at a rest area. The park service strongly discourages feeding the squirrels; some have become rather agressive and attacked people when they weren't fed.

red fox






A red fox that was hunting for small animals for lunch along the park road.

grizzly bear





A grizzly sow and her cub foraging along a river bank. Almost all grizzlies in the park are blonde or honey-colored when they are adults. All the cubs we saw were dark, so they must lighten as they mature.

grizzly bear






Another grizzly bear feeding very close to the park road. This one has a very shaggy appearance with the two-tone hair.

caribou












Caribou were often seen high on the ridges, silhouetted against the sky. From the size and shape of their antlers, you can tell that these are two females.


caribou








Just as often, we saw caribou down on the tundra. This female and her calf decided to enjoy the park road for a while. Wildlife have the right of way on the park road, and if they want to sit there, vehicular traffic stops and waits, even if they stay all day.

caribou





The calf stayed close to her mother wherever she went.

caribou





Finally, the mother decided to move into the tundra to do some grazing, and the calf followed. Not until this happened did the traffic resume.

bull caribou






A bull caribou wading the river. Note his much larger set of antlers.

cow moose and calf





One large animal that we did not see in the park until the very last day was the moose; they were too far away to photograph. This cow moose and her calf were outside the park, but close enough that I decided to include them. The animals don't know about park boundaries and go into and outside the park as they wish.

moose calf






The calf was curious about us and came to the edge of the woods for a closer look, but mama stayed in the woods.