| The two RV Gypsies
were definitely disappointed in the small amount of wildlife they saw in
Denali National Park. Ads led them to believe that they would see a lot
of wildlife. BUT, after all, it is wildlife and can not be guaranteed. Plus
the weather was unseasonably warm, as indicated by the caribou laying on
the patches of ice below. |
| A gold-colored
Grizzly Bear walking in the middle of the road |
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 A
butt shot is better than no shot. |
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| FYI: The Grizzly
bears' heart beat drops from 70 to around 10 beats a minute when they hibernate.
While asleep they recycle stored fat, carbohydrates & muscle proteins
that allow them to survive without eating or drinking for months. In Denali,
80% of a bear's diet is plant food. Bears are omnivores & will eat anything. |
Below:
Caribou - Do you know the difference between caribou and a reindeer?
They are the same animal, but caribou are wild, reindeer are tame. |
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Below: It is summer, and
the caribou were shedding, so they did not look their best. |
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Below: The two RV Gypsies do not want the caribou feel
left out, so here is butt shots of the caribou too - -LOL- |
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| FYI: Caribou have
large hooves that keep them above the snow in the winter. They forage for
lichens by pawing through the snow on open tundra. |
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Below: A RED FOX |
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Foxes
are predators with large parts of their brain dedicated to sorting out
smells. They are quick and very patient. |
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| The
two RV Gypsies also saw a black fox, and Lee Duquette filmed it on video.
Karen Duquette did not get a photo though. |
Below: And the most popular
wildlife in Alaska - the MOOSE |
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Below: The bull
moose on the left and mom and baby on right. They are hard to see in the
photos because they are far away and the photo was taken from the moving
bus. |
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Below: A Red Squirrel in
a tree top |
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Below: Arctic Ground Squirrels |
Arctic Ground Squirrels
hide from predators in holes. |
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| Below: The (hard to see) black
speck by the squirrel is a bug flying |
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BIRDS |
| Alaska's state bird - Willow Ptarmigan
- it turns white in the winter to hide from predators.
The town of Chicken, Alaska wanted to name their town Ptarmigan but could
not spell it, so it named the town Chicken instead. The two RV Gypsies visited
Chicken upon first entering Alaska. It was a very small town. |
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| There were bald eagles
in Denali, but Karen Duquette did not photograph any. For lots of photos
of bald eagles, golden eagles and more, visit the pages on Homer and Anchor
Point, Alaska on this website by using the Alaska button above. |
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Snowshoe Hares |
| The two RV Gypsies saw lots of snowshoe hares
in Denali National Park, and on other tours, but were unable to capture
a single photograph of the snowshoe hare. They are brown in summer and
turn white in the winter and stand very still because they are
the bottom of the food chain. Yet they did not stand still for a photo.
Snowshoe hares are bigger than cottontails. They have big, furry paws. |
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