Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
December 2024

Ask a Biologist
The Air in Moose Hair

By Jen Curl

Question from 8th grade student at Birchtree Charter School - Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District

Q) Why is moose hair so brittle?

Moose are found throughout most of Alaska, and as residents, survive extreme winter conditions every year. Late fall, as the days get shorter and temperatures drop, is the perfect time to think about how fur helps moose stay warm through the darkest, coldest months of the year.

First, some basics about mammal fur. ...   Air in Moose Hair Article Continued

Killed by a Quill

By Mike Taras

The story of a ragged old wolf and the importance of necropsies in wildlife mortality investigations

Many aspects of life are relative. Sometimes a comparison of situations is helpful to put things into perspective. For example, I was feeling my own aches and pains as I recovered from a series of orthopedic surgeries this summer. Then, a friend of mine called to talk about a wolf he had just live-captured as part of a research project in Southeast Alaska. The story was ...   Killed by a Quill Article Continued

Capturing Sea Lions
Steller Sea Lion Research in Prince William Sound

By Riley Woodford

The reversal drug worked quickly. The 700-pound Steller sea lion raised her head and looked around for her fellow sea lions. The rocky ledge jutting into the water of Prince William Sound was empty.

An hour earlier close to 50 Steller sea lions were crowded around her on the haulout, their bellowing roars carrying on the stiff October breeze. They were in the water just behind her now, but as she swung her head around all she could see was a group of sea lion researchers patiently watching ...   Capturing Sea Lions Article Continued