Plants, Animals & More

a snowshoe hare sits in the snow
A snowshoe hare blends in with its surroundings in Denali National Park & Preserve. NPS Photo/ Tim Rains
Alaska's flora and fauna fascinate scientists, visitors, and wildlife lovers alike. From the popular flagship species that visitors travel across the world to see, to the lesser-noticed critters and plants that make up Alaska's ecosystems, the range of organisms to be found here is broad. Read about the work that the National Park Service does to preserve these places and the flora and fauna that depend on them, or find the full species list of a park with the park selector below.

For more information on Alaskan wildlife and ecosystems, visit the Alaska Nature and Science website or Alaska Park Science.

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Showing results 1-10 of 16

  • Denali National Park & Preserve

    Large Mammals in Denali: How Many Are There?

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Denali National Park & Preserve
    six sheet in front of a large glacier and mountains

    Science Summary (2014) - Check out a yearly update of population estimates for "the Big Five" species of Denali - wolves, caribou, Dall sheep, moose and bears.

  • Peregrine Falcon

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Denali National Park & Preserve, Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve
    brown and tan bird perched on a rock

    The American peregrine falcon is one of the best known raptors in North America. For years, American peregrine populations declined due to problems with egg-shell thinning caused by persistent organic pollutants such as DDT. The American peregrine is one of three peregrine species found throughout North America, from northern Mexico all the way to Alaska.

  • Snowshoe Hare

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Denali National Park & Preserve, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Noatak National Preserve, Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve, Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve
    a white colored hare under a shrub in snow

    Snowshoe hares live in the boreal forests of North America and are active year-round. They gain their curious name from their very large hind feet form a snowshoe, supporting their weight on the surface of the snow. Hares greatly influence the world around them, including the vegetation, predators, and other herbivores and omnivores that live in the same habitats.

  • Black-Capped Chickadee

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Denali National Park & Preserve, Katmai National Park & Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

    Black-capped chickadees and boreal chickadees are tiny but tough songbirds that are year-round residents in many parts of Alaska.

  • Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve

    Cruise Ship – Humpback Whale Encounters In and Around Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve
    park visitors gather on the bow of a cruise ship over glassy waters

    Understanding how the presence of cruise ships may affect humpback whales is a research priority for managers of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. An observer boarded cruise ships in 2008 and 2009 to docu-ment how often and how close ships encountered whales as ships transited the park and adjacent waters.

  • Effects of Cruise Ship Emissions on Air Quality and Terrestrial Vegetation in Southeast Alaska

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Sitka National Historical Park
    An image looking down at cruise ships docked at Skagway harbor, with haze hovering between mountains

    Increased tourism in Southeast Alaska has raised concerns about the levels and ecological effects of air pollutants emitted by cruise ships in dock and in transit. A monitoring program is in place to measure regional and local air pollutants accumulated by vegetation and in deposition.

  • Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

    Life and Times of Tundra Plants: How Long Do They Live, and How They Are Responding to Climate Change

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve
    two people on a hillside overlooking a mountain shrouded in clouds

    Multi-year ecological studies can have a perverse logic: the more data you have already collected, the more mundane, but also the more useful, each new year of research becomes.

  • Lichens of the Arctic

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Noatak National Preserve
    closeup of green colored lichen

    Because certain lichen species are both abundant and sensitive to changes in the environment, they can serve as useful indicators of ecosystem health. When exposed to even low levels of certain pollutants, particularly sensitive species will decline or die, making lichen community composition a good indicator.

  • Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve

    Yellow Cedar on Glacier Bay's Outer Coast

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve
    looking up at a forest

    What happens to a forest when yellow-cedars experience a die-off? How healthy are Glacier Bay’s yellow-cedars?

  • Bear Identification

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Denali National Park & Preserve, Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve
    Brown bear walking down a beach

    There are a combination of characteristics to look for that can help you identify between black and brown bears. Knowing the difference between the two can help you make safe choices in bear country.

Tags: alaska plants animals and more
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Last updated: November 29, 2017

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