Sitka Black-tailed Deer
by Doreh
Deer are some of the noisiest animals in the Alaskan rain forest. Researchers have identified at least twelve different signals that Sitka black-tailed deer make. Fawns are born in June. They weigh 6 to 8 pounds and are approximately 12 inches in height. The babies are born spotted but soon turn to a grayish-brown. The Sitka deer have no front teeth, so they gulp down their food. They don't even chew.
The average adult doe weighs 80 lbs. And the
bucks weigh approximately 120lbs. Their antlers are dark brown with
black-tailed branching. Their life span is 10 years. The breeding
season is called a rut. A doe can breed during her second year of
life, and continue until 10 to 12 years of age. They usually produce
2 fawns per year. In the summer deer eat green leaves and berries
which they prefer. In the winter some deer die of starvation, because
it is hard to for them to find food.
Sources:
Alaska Wildlife Notebook Series
www.state.ak.us/local/akpages/FISH.GAME/notebook/notehome.htm
www.state.ak.us/local/akpages/FISH.GAME/wildlife/geninfo/game/ffdeer
Click here to return to front page.
Northern Fur Seals
by Doreh
The Northern Fur Seals got their names from their thick fur coats. There are 300,000 hairs per square foot. They were first named sea bears. The Northern Fur Seals are brownish gray when dry, but when wet they look black. Males weigh 90 - 110 pounds. Pups (baby seals) are born with a black pelt which becomes dark brown with a lighter color on the chest and belly. Males are larger than females at birth and throughout the rest of their life. When males are born they weigh 12 pounds. Females weigh only 10 pounds at birth. Most females mate between 3 - 5 years old. Males don't start mating until age 9 - 10. These seals like the open ocean and occasionally come to shore to mate. Males older than 17 have been found. Females can live as long as 26 years.
Fur Seals fed at night. They can dive up to 600 feet in search of food. They eat over 60 different species of fish. Seals feed on schooling fish such as Walleye, Pollock, Herring, Hake, Anchovy, and Squid.
Seals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Seals are now only killed for research or subsistence. Before 1985 there was no protection for the seals and 22,000 to 26,000 were killed.
Sources:
www.tmmc.org/nfurseal.htm
www.state.ak.us/local/akpages/FISH.GAME/notebook/notehome.htm