Alaska State Mammal
Moose (common name) Alces alces (scientific name) Overview The moose is the largest animal in the deer family and the second largest land animal (after the bison) in North America and Europe. Moose are iconic animals of the deep woods known for the enormous, broad antlers of the male. The moose was declared the state land mammal of Maine in 1979 and of Alaska in 1998, and it is a popular game animal in both states. The animal is superbly adapted to cold climates with its long legs—which allow it to wade in deep water and to walk through the deep snow—and its extremely dense fur. The moose was an important food source for the indigenous peoples of North America, and its flavorful meat is still popular among hunters and people living in rural areas where moose are present. Close-up STATUS Official State Land Mammal ALSO KNOWN AS Common elk, Eastern moose, Alaska moose, Shiras moose PHYSICAL DETAILS The moose has long thin legs, a bulky torso, a short tail, and a huge head with an elongated snout. Under the chin the animal has a hanging fold of skin called a "dewlap."  Its color ranges from golden hues to almost black. After the mating season, the male sheds its antlers. A new set of antlers re-grows in the spring over a three- to five-month period.    Males Females Size height at shoulder 1.8–2.1 m (6–7 ft); full height up to 9 ft (2.75 m); width of antlers up to 50 in (127 cm) height at shoulder 1.8–2.1 m (6–7 ft) Weight 850–1,580 lbs (380–720 kg); average 1,150 lbs (523 kg); largest 1,800 lbs (820 kg) 600–1,300 lbs (270–590 kg); average 850 lbs (386 kg) LIFESPAN Up to 25 years; average of 11 years in the wild HABITAT Pine forests where there are lakes, ponds, rivers, and swamps. Range: From Alaska to Maine in North America and from Finland to Korea in Eurasia. In North America, moose are present in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, the Adirondack region of northern New York, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, northern Wisconsin, northern Minnesota, northeastern North Dakota, and pockets of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado, as well as most of Canada. Conservation: Least Concern (LC). By the mid-1800s only a dozen moose were left in Maine due to over-hunting. The Maine moose herd didn’t rebound until the early 1970s and now almost 30,000 of the animals live in the state. BEHAVIOR Like other deer, the moose is most active at dawn and dusk. Moose are typically solitary except for mothers and calves and during the breeding season in autumn. During the mating season, the female emits a wailing call to which the male responds with a booming grunt. Males will fight (usually only involving the antlers) over females, with the larger animal likely winning. Moose will migrate from a few miles to as many as 60 miles (96 km) to birthing, mating, and wintering areas. Top land speed recorded: 35 mph (56 kph) DIET Grasses, pond vegetation (water lilies, horsetail, bladderwort), sedges, bark, roots; the shoots, twigs, buds, and leaves of willow, birch, maple, fir, and aspen trees. OFFSPRING Breeding interval: Annual Birthing period: May–June Average litter size: 1–3 calves Size at birth: 28–45 pounds (22 kg); average 31 lbs (14 kg) TRIVIA The word "moose" is derived from the word "moz," which means "twig eater" in the language of the Penobscot people of coastal Maine. The moose is a very popular big game species. Hunters kill more than 10,000 moose annually in the U.S. (7,000 in Alaska, over 2,200 in Maine, 500 each in Vermont and New Hampshire, and 200 in Minnesota). Moose are excellent swimmers, able to swim at 6 miles per hour (10 km/h). They can also dive up to 17 ft (5 m) underwater due to valves in their nostrils that seal upon submergence.
	Click to enlarge an image Moose Female Cow Crossing River Female Cow with Young Calf Close-up of Bull Moose CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Cervidae Genus: Alces Species: A. alces
	Data Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Author: World Trade Press

Alaska State Mammal
Bowhead Whale (common name) Balaena mysticetus(scientific name) Overview The long-lived bowhead whale, among the world’s largest mammals, is most easily recognized by its large head, which accounts for about a third of the animal’s body. It lives in very cold Arctic waters, and its massive, somewhat triangular head is probably an adaptation that allows it to break through ice when necessary. Commercial bowhead hunting is now illegal, but this whale remains important to the survival of some Arctic peoples, who use the blubber, meat, oil, and bones for food and to make tools and other items. The bowhead became Alaska’s official marine mammal in 1983. Close-up STATUS Official State Marine Mammal ALSO KNOWN AS Greenland right whale, great polar whale, agviq, aghveq PHYSICAL DETAILS The bowhead whale has a large body covered by a layer of blubber as thick as 24 inches (61 cm) under a bluish-black skin. This exceptionally thick layer of fat provides insulation in cold waters and can also nourish a bowhead when food is scarce. Its head is large, as is its mouth, which contains baleen plates, a sort of bone sieve used to filter prey out of the water. Its two blowholes are on the peaked ridge at the top of the whale’s head. There is a white marking dotted with black on the underside of its head, and some whales also have white markings on their bellies and tails. This whale has no dorsal fin, but has wide flippers adapted for paddling, as well as a notched tail. Females are larger than males on average.    Males Females Size head to tail tip average 45-60 ft (13-18 m); largest–65 ft (20 m) head to tail tip average 50-65 ft (15-20 m); largest–70 ft (22 m) Weight average, 132,000 lbs (599,000 kg) average, 200,000 lbs (907,000 kg) LIFESPAN Up to 200 years; average 100-150 years HABITAT Surfaces of very cold ocean waters. Range: The Arctic Ocean and some nearby cold seas, sometimes as far south as the Sea of Okhotsk; St. John’s, Newfoundland; and Hooper Bay, Alaska. Conservation Status: Endangered (EN). The bowhead has been on the U.S. Endangered Species List since 1973. Though numbers of bowheads are increasing, the total remains low. Offshore oil development in Arctic areas often diminishes and damages bowhead habitat. Native people who live near this whale’s habitat usually still hunt bowheads, but the number taken each year is too low to impact overall whale numbers in a meaningful way. Killer whales also prey on bowheads, but again only a few are taken each year. BEHAVIOR A bowhead whale is a slow swimmer, usually moving at about 2 to 4 mph (3 to 6.5 kph), and traveling alone or in small groups. It breaks ice as needed as it moves, particularly when it needs to come up for air. A bowhead will hide under ice when frightened. To feed, it opens its large mouth and filters prey through its baleen. Though a bowhead moves to warmer waters for the summer, it never leaves sub-Arctic waters. Mating starts in spring, and a bowhead male will sing to attract a mate. A female gives birth every three to six years, about 13 to 14 months after mating. A bowhead whale is born tail first. It is lighter-colored than an adult, and must swim to the surface, sometimes with its mother’s help, to breathe. A bowhead baby drinks its mother’s milk for about a year. A male bowhead is mature at about 11 years, and a female at over 15. Top speed: 12 mph (19 kph) DIET Krill, copepods, pteropods, mysids, euphasids, steropods, ghost shrimps, mollusks, plankton, squid, tubeworms, and small fish. OFFSPRING Breeding interval: Annual Birthing period: December–February Average number of offspring: 1 calf Size at birth: length 15 ft (4.5 m); weight 2,200 lbs (1,000 kg) TRIVIA A bowhead can spout water up to 13 feet (almost 4 m) into the air. While swimming along the surface, only the top of the bowhead whale's triangular head and rounded back show above the water. A bowhead can stay under water for up to an hour, though it’s much more common for this whale to surface every 10 minutes or so.
	Click to enlarge an image Bowhead Whales with Young Calf Bowhead Whales on Migration Route Bowhead Whale Profile (Photo Rick LeDuc) CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Cetacea Suborder: Mysticeti Family: Balaenidae Genus: Balaena Species: B. mysticetus
	Data Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Author: World Trade Press