1. Grizzly Bears
(Ursus arctos)
This is a brown bear, or "grizzly" cub.
Denali's grizzlies are smaller than what people call a brown bear along the coast. Still, grizzlies can weigh in at up to 600 lbs., which is pretty big. They vary in color from brown to blond or sometimes brown with blond streaks. Around 300 to 350 grizzly bears live in the park on the north side of the Alaska Range. You can see them on open tundra, and along the gravel bars of streams and rivers. Denali grizzlies eat roots, berries, bulbs, tubers and fresh vegetation early in the season. They have long claws for digging. They also eat ground squirrels, caribou, moose and sheep. Along the coast, their larger cousins eat a lot of salmon. Grizzlies hibernate from October to April. The park service has interactive videos showing what to do if you see a grizzly.
Photo, Jimmy Tohill © Old Sourdough Studio – Denali
(Ursus arctos)
This is a brown bear, or "grizzly" cub.
Denali's grizzlies are smaller than what people call a brown bear along the coast. Still, grizzlies can weigh in at up to 600 lbs., which is pretty big. They vary in color from brown to blond or sometimes brown with blond streaks. Around 300 to 350 grizzly bears live in the park on the north side of the Alaska Range. You can see them on open tundra, and along the gravel bars of streams and rivers. Denali grizzlies eat roots, berries, bulbs, tubers and fresh vegetation early in the season. They have long claws for digging. They also eat ground squirrels, caribou, moose and sheep. Along the coast, their larger cousins eat a lot of salmon. Grizzlies hibernate from October to April. The park service has interactive videos showing what to do if you see a grizzly.
Photo, Jimmy Tohill © Old Sourdough Studio – Denali
2. Moose
(Alces alces)
Moose are members of the deer family. In fact, they are the largest member, weighing between 800 and 1,500 pounds. This is a cow moose. Only bull moose have antlers. You are more likely to see a female moose like this one, because they come near the roads with their calves, to eat in small ponds. In Denali Park, about 2,000 moose roam on the north side of the Alaska Range. You can often see moose near the park entrance. Willows are an important part of a moose diet. In the winter, moose eat willow twigs and branches. In the spring you may be lucky enough to spot a moose with twin calves.
Photo, Kevin Hamel, Totem Inn - Healy
(Alces alces)
Moose are members of the deer family. In fact, they are the largest member, weighing between 800 and 1,500 pounds. This is a cow moose. Only bull moose have antlers. You are more likely to see a female moose like this one, because they come near the roads with their calves, to eat in small ponds. In Denali Park, about 2,000 moose roam on the north side of the Alaska Range. You can often see moose near the park entrance. Willows are an important part of a moose diet. In the winter, moose eat willow twigs and branches. In the spring you may be lucky enough to spot a moose with twin calves.
Photo, Kevin Hamel, Totem Inn - Healy
3. Caribou
(Rangifer tarandus)
The park’s 2,000 caribou roam in groups. During early summer, they can be seen in open areas east of the Savage River. Later in the summer, you’ll find them on gravel bars and ridges west of Sable Pass. In the summer, both male and female caribou have antlers. The caribou to the left looks like a female. Older bulls have a white chest and branch-like antlers. Caribou favor open tundra, where they find lichens and escape the bugs. In the winter, they paw for food through the snow.
Photo, Mitch Malamud
(Rangifer tarandus)
The park’s 2,000 caribou roam in groups. During early summer, they can be seen in open areas east of the Savage River. Later in the summer, you’ll find them on gravel bars and ridges west of Sable Pass. In the summer, both male and female caribou have antlers. The caribou to the left looks like a female. Older bulls have a white chest and branch-like antlers. Caribou favor open tundra, where they find lichens and escape the bugs. In the winter, they paw for food through the snow.
Photo, Mitch Malamud
Photo, Jimmy Tohill © Old Sourdough Studio – Denali
5. Dall Sheep
(Ovis dalli dalli)
The idea for a park in this region began in 1906, when Charles Sheldon arrived to study Dall sheep, and then, concerned with the sheeps’ survival in the face of heavy hunting, developed the concept of a park. There are around 2,500 sheep living north of the Alaska Range. They eat low-growing alpine plants year-round. They can be seen from Mile 15 to Mile 17 on the Park Road. If you drive to Savage River, look for them in the hills to the west. They’re also visible at Igloo Canyon, Polychrome and Toklat.
5. Dall Sheep
(Ovis dalli dalli)
The idea for a park in this region began in 1906, when Charles Sheldon arrived to study Dall sheep, and then, concerned with the sheeps’ survival in the face of heavy hunting, developed the concept of a park. There are around 2,500 sheep living north of the Alaska Range. They eat low-growing alpine plants year-round. They can be seen from Mile 15 to Mile 17 on the Park Road. If you drive to Savage River, look for them in the hills to the west. They’re also visible at Igloo Canyon, Polychrome and Toklat.
4. Wolves
(Canis lupus)
The park’s wolf population, on the north side of the Alaska Range, fluctuates between 80 to 100 adults. Wolves move around, looking for snowshoe hares, ground squirrels, moose, Dall Sheep and caribou. You can see them in open places and along gravel bars. They have been seen between the park entrance and the Savage River – and on the road to Wonder Lake. They’ve also been viewed between the Teklanika River and the Last Fork River, and between Toklat and Thorofare Pass.
Denali's Big Five
Dinosaurs • Bear Safety • The Big Five • Small Animals • Predators & Prey
Birds • Mosquitoes
Wildlife in Denali.
Dinosaurs • Bear Safety • The Big Five • Small Animals • Predators & Prey
Birds • Mosquitoes
Wildlife in Denali.
