There are six types of bats in Alaska. They are the long
legged bat, Keen’s bat, the California bat, the little brown bat, silver
haired bat and the big brown bat. The little brown bat is the most
common and wide ranging. The first four types of bats live in small
groups in building on old night tunnels and caves. You can find them
mostly in Southwest Alaska. Bats are nocturnal. It means they
come out only at night to eat. They have a well-developed sonar system
by emitting squeaks that are often too high pitched for human ears.
Bats have been persecuted largely through ignorance. They have been
associated with Vampires and rabies. The only problem they really
cause is distressing homeowners by nesting in chimneys. The best
thing about bats is that they eat large quantities of flying insects especially
the mosquito every day.
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Stellar Sea Lions
By: Joey C.
Stellar Sea Lions are the largest of the “eared Seals”. They have
external ears and rear flippers which turn forward allowing them to “walk”
the same way as land animals do. They live in the Pacific Ocean,
and resemble the African and Asian lion. The males have a large neck
and shoulders, along with long and coarse hair on the neck and shoulders
that gives them the appearance of having names as do lions. The sea
lion pup’s coat is chocolate brown at birth, with the tips of the hair
being colorless, giving a frosty appearance. Most adult females are
yellowish, cream color on the back, while males stay darker on the front
of the neck and chest.
Males and females are different in size. Females grow very little
after 6 years, but males continue to grow until the are twelve years old.
Males generally way over twice as much as the average adult female.
Steller’s sea lions are found from the northwestern California coast
northward into the Bearing Sea to Bering Straits, in the Okhotsk Sea and
along the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. The number of sea lions
in Alaska declined by 50 percent from the mid-1970’s to the mid-1980’s.
Steller’s sea lions can move over long distances as far as 900 miles.
They are marine carnivores, and eat a wide variety of fish.
Steller’s sea lions were historically a primary source of food for
inhabitants of the Aleutio Islands. Clothing, boots and boat
coverings were made from skins. In 1972 Steller’s sea lions, became
protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Source
Alaska Wildlife Notebook Series
www.state.ak.us/local/akpages/FISH.GAME/notebook/notehome.htm