One of the things that makes Alaska so special is that
all three species of North American bears flourish there. There is a chance that
you may be lucky enough to see a bear. But even if you don't, you will never be
far from one, because Alaska is bear country.Brown/grizzly bears are
found from the islands of southeastern Alaska to the arctic. Black bears inhabit
most of Alaska's forests. Polar bears frequent the pack ice and tundra of
extreme northern and western Alaska.
Black Bear
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Black bears live over most of the state except north of the Brooks Range in the
arctic. They are frequent visitors in towns surrounded by forests and love to
supplement their diets with garbage. In the wild, look for them in the spruce
and birch forests, where they eat roots, berries, grasses and small animals. In
Southeast and Southcentral Alaska, they also eat salmon. Look for black bears at
Anan Creek, south of Wrangell in Southeast Alaska.
Most often black in color, black bears lack the shoulder hump
prominent in grizzly bears. The tan muzzle is distinctive. They have strong
curved claws that allow them to climb trees with agility, a talent grizzly bears
lack. Unlike other tree-climbing mammals that descend head-first, a black bear
walks down a tree with its rear legs in the lead.
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Grizzly Bear or Brown Bear
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What's the difference between the brown bear and the grizzly? Brown bears are the ones you're more likely to see on your voyage, since they live where the salmon do, along the southwestern coast and Gulf of Alaska. Grizzlies are simply brown bears that live inland. Brown bears can weigh up to 800 pounds and reach a height of eight feet when standing on their hind legs. And they're fast, able to run 35 to 40 miles per hour.
Brown bears can be watched safely by people who keep their distance, so you'll
want binoculars or a long camera lens. The bus tours of Denali National Park
usually come across the park's blond grizzlies browsing or sleeping. In
southwestern Alaska, browns gather to catch salmon in the Brooks River of Katmai
National Park; visitors watch from a viewing deck.
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Polar Bear
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Polar bears live along the Arctic Ocean, and they're sometimes found down the
Bering Sea coast. Although they wander into Barrow and other towns along the
shore, they mostly stay on the pack ice, to hunt their main food source --
ringed seals. They also attack and eat walruses.
Polar bears are big -- most males weigh between 600 and 1,200 pounds and females
reach 400 to 700 pounds.
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Bear Viewing
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Alaska is home to over 98 percent of
our country’s brown bear population so it is no wonder that Alaska bear
viewing is a popular visitor attraction. Bears are found in nearly every
corner of Alaska. Viewing a bear in the wild’s of Alaska is a truly
awesome experience, and often one of the highlights of a trip to Alaska.
There are a number of Alaska bear viewing opportunities available to visitors. Denali National Park is one of the most popular areas in Alaska to view bears in their natural habitat. Each year tens of thousands of Alaska visitors board buses to travel all or part of the 90 mile road that travels deep into Denali Park. While bear sightings in Denali are by no means a sure thing, most visitors do see bears in Denali, although sometimes at a distance.
For a more up close and personal Alaska bear viewing experience many visitors travel to southwest Alaska to locations such as McNeil River, Katmai National Park, Kodiak Island and Lake Clark National Park. In the summer months, typically from early June through late September brown bears gather near area streams to feed on Alaska salmon.
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