Page 35 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Alaska

A POR TR AIT OF ALASK A  33

Rocky Coastlines
In many places along the coast of the Gulf of Alaska and
the Bering Sea, the land rises from the sea in rocky beaches
and high cliffs that are frequently pummeled by storms and
pounding waves. The seas, rich in plankton and fish, support
both nesting birds and marine mammals, such as sea
otters, seals, sea lions, and walruses. Below the high-tide line,
seaweed beds and tide pools provide a habitat for mollusks
and soft-bodied creatures such as octopuses and jellyfish.
Northern fur seals haul out on
the Pribilof Islands to breed
and bear pups. About 700,000 of Walruses, with their distinctive coarse
them – half of the world’s popula- whiskers and ivory tusks, are seen
tion – have been known to gather mainly on rocky Bering Sea beaches,
here every summer. In the past where males break their journey
decade, however, the numbers northward to their breeding
have declined sharply. grounds around the Arctic Ocean.

High Mountains and Icefields Arctic Tundra
The alpine areas of Alaska are found in the Most of Arctic and Western Alaska is covered
high mountain ranges that arc along the with Arctic tundra (see p225), which ranges from
south ern coast of the state and in the peripheral rolling expanses covered by low shrubs and
ranges crossing the Interior and Arctic regions. miniature grasses to spongy tussocks and
The southern ranges are capped by extensive vast open plains. Despite the harsh climate,
icefields that give rise to the valley glaciers the shallow soils support a diversity of plant
that carve intermontane valleys and fjords. life including flowers, berries, and lichen.

Musk oxen, hunted to
Dall sheep inhabit extinction in Alaska,
alpine meadows and were reintroduced
steep slopes, fleeing to from Greenland in the
rocky crags to escape 1930s. Qiviut, their soft,
pursuers. These warm underhair, is
herbivores are rarely spun into fiber.
found below
the timberline. Caribou in Alaska
number about a
million individu als.
Hoary marmots Herds of up to
burrow on alpine 400,000 migrate
slopes and use high- annually between
pitched whistles as summer and winter
alarm signals. These ranges that can
rodents hibernate be up to 250 miles
for seven months. (400 km) apart.

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