Nature of Alaska: climate, relief, flora and fauna of the region. Mysterious Peninsula - Alaska. Landscapes and fauna Alaska fauna

The rugged coast of Alaska, the most large state The USA is home to some of the most incredible wildlife in North America. During the short period when winter is receding, all living creatures need to have time to prepare supplies, raise offspring and enjoy the sun's rays before the cold sets in again.

This remarkable series of photographs was taken by British nature photographer Tim Plowden, who traveled to these rugged lands to capture the mysterious world of Alaskan wildlife.

Tim Plowden, who grew up enjoying the beauty of the Chiltern Hills, has already visited many parts of our planet. For example, in Norfolk Island National Park, in Australia, I traveled all over South America and the USA, but his big dream was always Alaska.

And now his dream came true. He discovered new world, full of mysteries, trials and endless beauty. He visited remote coasts, climbed high into the mountains, made his way across the tundra in search of the most impressive moments.

“The fauna of the forest areas and tundra of Alaska is incredibly diverse,” notes the Englishman. – There are about 20 species of fur-bearing animals alone, most of which are predators. Here you can find the famous wolverine, American mink and other mustelids.

— In the forest and mountain regions of Alaska, as well as in the forest-tundra, you can find various species of ungulates, such as caribou - the northern American deer. It wasn’t difficult for me to photograph the caribou, as I have a lot of experience photographing the deer that live here in Britain,” says the photographer.

“I just had to find a beautiful place and choose the right time to get a beautiful photo.” So I can say that my experience and knowledge acquired earlier were definitely useful to me when working in Alaska.

— I would like to note that wild nature Alaska is incredibly beautiful! And I’m happy that I was able to touch its beauties and secrets,” Tim Plowden shared his impression.

I involuntarily associate visiting Alaska with wild animals. We, citizens of Russia, raised in the Soviet Union by Yuri Senkevich with the “Travel Club” and “The World of Animals” by Vitaly Peskov and Nikolai Drozdov, have seen these animals many times, although it was a long time ago and, unfortunately, through a TV screen with a far from flat low-resolution screen! I also wanted to note here my attitude towards zoos. After visiting the Moscow Zoo, my heart bleeds: I can’t look at the poor suffering wild animals in captivity! Of course, there are better zoos, for example in Miami. But still – bondage! Well, that’s why we really wanted to see wild animals in Alaska, and what do they have to do with them? natural environment. And Alaska is 100% ready for such a formulation of the question! A whole bunch of all kinds of tours are offered by car, bus, plane, boat and ship. We took the Kantishna Experience tour. 12 hours round trip on 90 miles of dirt road. And this is what came of it...

The first to meet us right on the road was a caribou or reindeer. He was simply walking along the road in the oncoming lane about his deer business. To be honest, I thought that all the animals would then take turns along this road.

Caribou grazing in a clearing

Mountain goats were grazing very far away

But main character national park Denali: Grizzly!

His shoulders, neck and belly are covered with dark brown hair, lighter at the ends, which gives his fur a grayish tint; hence the name - grizzly means “gray, gray-haired”.

The lifestyle of a grizzly bear is typical Brown bear- flows into hibernation and eats mainly plant foods. Only in early youth can a grizzly bear climb trees until his claws (which grow the largest of all bears) get in the way, but later he can easily swim across wide rivers. Skillfully catches fish. Grizzlies also love to destroy beehives and eat honey.

And here is the whole family.

The grizzly bear is one of the largest and most ferocious North American predators. The scientific name for this subspecies, horribilis, translates to “terrible, terrible.” In the old days, they liked to describe the grizzly as a terrible and ferocious animal; they said that he is not afraid of a person - on the contrary, he goes straight at him, whether he is on horseback or on foot, armed or unarmed. The grizzly bear population declined greatly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when farmers began shooting them en masse to protect their livestock from attacks.

Just a bird

Partridges were hiding in the bushes along the road

Two moose (female and male) stand in Amazing lake(Wonder Lake) with McKinley in the background

The diet of moose includes aquatic and semi-aquatic plants. They probably found them in the shallow waters of this lake.

These are the wild animals we saw in the national park. The distance to the bears was more than 300 meters, to the moose - more than a hundred. At the zoo you can see them very close, but here they are at home. This is the whole point of visiting a national park. To be honest, a focal length of 400 mm is simply nothing for shooting these beauties. I wonder what happened to those who shot at a shorter distance on automatic with a constantly pop-up flash?

The nature of Alaska is mysterious and wild, with a harsh climate and polar night.

These are breathtaking mountain and sea views, fertile lands and numerous forests in the south.

Alaska – American state occupies the most large area, compared to other states, but with the lowest population density.

Description of Alaska

The state territory includes nearby islands. St. Lawrence with the Aleutian Islands and the Alexander Archipelago.

Alaska in winter photo

To the east is Canada, across the Bering Strait is Russia. The southern coast of Alaska is washed by the Pacific Ocean, and the north by the Northern Arctic Ocean.

The size of the territory is 1,717,854 sq. km. The state is 3,639 km wide and 2,285 km long. Residents: 740 thousand people. The capital is Juneau.

Features of Alaska

The state of Alaska has been given exclave status, which means it has no borders with other states. On the islands around the peninsula there are many volcanoes, both dormant and extinct, and active. The mountain ranges form a single volcanic chain called the Pacific Ring of Fire, which experiences earthquakes.

Alaska mountains photo

Alaska’s peculiarities also include the number of lakes – over 3 million. The peninsula is a fishing region, and fishermen from all over the world come here to fish.

Alaska's problems

Environmentalists warn that Alaska's ecological condition is under threat:

• The 2011 Japanese tsunami is still sending trash to Alaska, which is being cleared slowly;
• oil spills and incomplete neutralization of the consequences;
• warming and melting arctic ice;
• disruption of the usual habitat of the animal world;
• increase in fish and seafood production;
• pollution of the hydrosphere and atmosphere by water and land transport.

Alaska Climate

Climate is affected by the size of the territory. The northern territories are affected by the Arctic climate with permafrost and summer temperatures It's minus 20-28 degrees here. Precipitation – snow, the annual norm is 250 mm, lasts throughout the year. The south is dominated by a humid climate and abundant rainfall. In summer up to 13 degrees Celsius.

In the Western regions there is fog, dampness and wind. In the interior the climate is dry, warm in summer(plus 28-32 degrees), and severely cold in winter months, minus 50-55.

Relief

The southern coast is separated by the Alaska Ranges, with the highest peak in the United States, 6,194 m, Mount McKinley. The eastern part of the ridge ends with Mount Bona, an extinct volcano covered with a glacier. To the north of the ridges there is a plateau with a height of 600 m (western slopes) and 1200 m eastern mountains, turning into a plain. Further, beyond the Arctic Circle line, there are again ridges (Brooks Range), 950 m long and 2-2.5 km high, giving way to the Arctic Lowland.

Animals of Alaska

Fur-bearing animals in Alaska include:

• American minks;
• wolverines and other mustelids;
• species of foxes;
• wolves;
• grizzly bears;
• hares;
• rodents: muskrats, beavers and others.

bear - fisherman photo

In the mountains, forests and forest-tundra there are ungulates: caribou and elk, and encounters with snow goats and sheep are not uncommon. They live on Nunivak musk oxen, on Afognak - deer - wapiti, not far from the Big Delta - bison. There are many feathered inhabitants - relatives of Siberian birds.

On the coasts of the islands there are walrus rookeries, as well as fur seals, whose fur is valued. Come into view sea ​​lions with seals and whales.

Plants

In the coastal regions of the Northwest and around Prince William Sound, dense coniferous forests. In the center of Alaska there are white spruce, birch and poplar trees. In the north there is taiga, swamps, willow thickets and low-growing spruce trees.

delicate flowers of harsh Alaska photo

Further - arctic tundra with dwarf birches and willows, an abundance of moss, lichens and marsh vegetation. In summer, many flowers bloom, and closer to autumn, blueberries, blueberries, cloudberries, and cotton grass ripen.

Lakes and rivers of Alaska

Alaska is a lake region, there are 3 million bodies of water of this type, with a predominance in the northern part of the state. Scientists have noticed that the surface of reservoirs increases by 5 m annually and takes on an ovoid shape, with a narrow part towards the north, indicating the flow to the ocean.

Lake Yukon photo

The increase in lakes, as researchers explain, is associated with the gradual thawing of permafrost. There are 12,000 rivers flowing through Alaska. Rating of the most long rivers state:

Yukon, 3000 km.

• Kuskokwim, 1130 km.
• Tanana, 855 km.
• Koyukuk, 805 km.
• Colville, 600 km.

Alaska Nature Reserves

• The state's Alaska Peninsula is famous national reserve- The Gateway to the Arctic, where wildlife is carefully protected.
• From the Southeast - Wrangel and St. Elias (Rangel and St. Elias).
• Katmai is in southern Alaska. It borders with Bocharova Park in the southwest. There are many volcanoes here.
• Misty fjords. In spring, bird markets gather here. The length of the “Misty Fjords” is 64 km along the southeastern coast, area 9500 sq. km.
• Glacier Bay - glaciers (9), forests and mountains, lakes, icebergs.

In addition to these reserves, there are many other parks and reserves in Alaska.

Sights of Alaska

In the picturesque and sunny, quaint and artsy town of Haines, November of every year is dedicated to the Bald Eagle Festival. The Aleutian Range is famous for the active volcano Katmai, 2047 m high and 10 km in diameter with a muddy green lake in the crater and an island in the middle.

Katmai volcano photo

The city of Sitka is notable for its St. Michael's Cathedral, built in 1848. This is a monument to the Russian people who were in Alaska.

1912 was marked by a strong eruption of the Katmai volcano, the roar of which was heard 1200 km away, and the earthquake was felt 200 km away.

• "Alaska", from the Aleut language, is translated as "a place where there are many whales."
• Alaska, 20,000 years ago, was inhabited by Athabaskans, Aleuts, and Inuit who came from the Bering Strait. As well as the local Tlingit and Haida people.
• In 1867, William Seward bought Alaska from cash-strapped Russia after the war with the French for $7.2 million. Russian empire lost profitable loot natural resources Alaska.

Results

The nature of Alaska is amazing and most beautiful place on the planet. Tourists come here to admire the untouched pristine nature and see local attractions.

thought about it

chase: terns are very brave birds, they attack seagulls, which are three times larger!

stretching

yes, we see there is a train)

the horns are impressive

The deer's antlers are unusual, not “bare” like the rest, but covered with fur, I would say suede!

battle cry

here comes the clubfoot

big guy

lower lip doesn't close

caribou, if he could talk, would be a comedian)

nature has deprived the caribou - instead of horns, some kind of intestine sticks out of its head

do you see the ocean?

here's another ocean

and in the evening bam - and there is no ocean! I have seen many low tides, but for the whole ocean to disappear!:000

and here comes the tide!

there are a lot of fish in the tide wave, judging by the birds

surfers also take advantage of the tide

baby gulls have gray-brown plumage, but grow up and become white

the tern, attacking, makes heart-rending sounds

In Alaska, the further north you go, the later the sunsets and the earlier the sunrises. Sunsets are around 23-24, and after 2-3 hours the sunrise, so I missed all the sunrises, who wants to get up at 3 am?:)

Friends, the fact is that I already said everything I wanted to tell you about Alaska in previous posts, but there were a number of photos left that I would like to show you, so I had to make another post and write at least something about it! I hope the text is not too boring)

I took photographs with animals at an animal reservation (I didn’t remember the name), which is located near Anchorage. This is a famous reservation in America, because such monsters as Animal Planet, National Geographic, Discovery, etc. filmed programs about it!

The reservation contains almost all of Alaska's animals, such as bison, caribou, deer, bald eagles, wolves and bears. Here animals are not kept in small cages; each animal has quite a large space to live! Some animals can be touched and fed by hand, but of course we are not talking about bears, you can only feed them by hand, but not by hand!)
Generally interesting place, it's worth a look!

A few words about the locals.

Previously, when I heard talk about how Americans are a nation of fat people, I was surprised, because I had been to the USA so many times, I didn’t seem to notice that they were very different from us, but when I was in Alaska, I realized that the countryside audience is completely not like in big cities, these real piggy banks for calories are really fat (I don’t mean just plump people, but those whose weight exceeds a ton), there are people of some unreal, I would say unearthly, shapes and sizes! Only here you can meet a mammoth/hippopotamus/walrus man! I had no idea that Gulliver is not a mythical character, but every third resident of Alaska!

In megacities like New York, LA or Miami, the people are more fit and thin, the cult of the body in such cities is perhaps the only “religion”! In Miami Beach, not having a six-pack is the same as not having a tattoo for a biker!

In large cities, appearance decides everything or a lot! It’s easier to find a job, the attitude towards the thin (read rich and fit) is better, and they enjoy great success with the opposite (and not only) sex!

The reason for getting fat is boredom, because people seem to have money, but there is nowhere to put it in a small town; the only entertainment is huge, fatty, and at the same time tasty, burgers! Gluttony is the same strong addiction as drug addiction or gambling; if you get hooked on burgers, then a third chin is inevitably difficult to stop! I don’t believe that obesity is a consequence of genetic abnormalities (as fat people themselves claim), because every third person cannot have a genetic predisposition to obesity!
I would like to note that no matter how these people look outwardly, they are all very responsive and friendly, which is much more important than their appearance, "Kindness is better than beauty", as Heine said! I am in no way making fun of people who have a strong excess weight, I'm sorry that people are good, but do not have a strong enough will to overcome gluttony!

We drove around Alaska by car for ten days, went to any place where there were signs on brown (that is, attractions), stopped in picturesque places for the night, walked through the forest, ate the same burgers, fed mosquitoes, in general, we had a great rest!

To briefly summarize my trip to Alaska, I received tremendous aesthetic pleasure traveling through this fantastic beautiful land. I recommend to everyone!

On my last day in Alaska, I broke my record - I made as many as 5 flights in one day! Tired as ever.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, on an airplane the beard and nails grow much faster, at a rate of a centimeter per hour, wrinkles become deeper, old age is literally knocking at the door!:0 ​​After a long flight, you look 10 years older!:o What’s the reason for this? , is it really due to the dry air in the aircraft cabin?

This is the last post about wonderful Alaska, thanks for reading!

Alaska is the largest and most rugged state in the USA. The homeland of the Eskimos and the Land of the Midnight Sun captivates with incredible landscapes. What's so special about Alaska's wildlife? Photos and descriptions of the state can be found later in the article.

The Last Frontier

Alaska is located on the peninsula of the same name in the northwestern part of the continent North America. This is the most northern state The United States and, moreover, an exclave (a dependent region surrounded by other states from the main territory of the country). For these reasons, Alaska was given the name "The Last Frontier."

In addition to the continental part, the state covers Pribyvalov Island, the Aleutian Islands, the Alexander Archipelago, Kodiak Island, and other nearby islands. It borders with Canada, and across the Bering Strait with Russia. It is washed by the Pacific Ocean and surrounded in the north by the Arctic Ocean, which largely influenced the formation of the nature of Alaska.

The region covers an area of ​​1.7 million square kilometers. If you place it on top of a map of the United States, it will stretch from Florida to California. About 740 thousand people live here. Chief and one of largest cities Alaska - Juneau. Other big cities: Anchorage, Sitka, Fairbanks, College.

Climate and relief

Alaska's landscape has had a significant impact on its nature. Along the entire southern coast of the region stretches the Alaska Range, where Mount McKinley is located - the most high peak USA. The mountain is also called Denali and extends to a height of 6,194 meters. In the eastern part of the range, near the Canadian state of Yukon, is Mount Bona, a long-extinct volcano covered with glaciers.

To the north of the ridge there is a plateau with an elevation range of 1200 to 600 meters, which gradually turns into a lowland. Beyond the plateau lies the Brooks Range, with elevations ranging from 950 to 2000 meters. Behind it is the Arctic Lowland. In Alaska there are “US high-altitude record holders”, more than 20 peaks have absolute altitude from 4 kilometers.

Due to the huge size of the state, the climate and nature of Alaska differ in different parts of it. In the very north of the state Even in summer average temperature in this region from -20 to -28 degrees. In other parts of the state, conditions are much milder.

In the south the climate is humid with high rainfall. Temperatures in summer, although not as severe as in the north, are still low. On average in July it reaches 13 degrees. The most low temperature The highest temperature ever recorded in Alaska is -62 degrees.

Nature of Alaska

There are eight in the state national parks. The largest of them, Gates of Alaska, is located entirely within the Arctic Circle in a region of permafrost. Despite the cold and harsh climate, Alaska's wildlife is quite diverse.

There are many bodies of water in the region. There are about 3 million lakes and 12 thousand rivers here. The largest river is Yukon. To the north is about 40 thousand square meters. km are occupied by glaciers.

In the north-west of the country there are huge sand dunes. Inner part The region covers open forests and tundras. They serve as shelter for moose, grizzly bears, reindeer, minks, martens, foxes, wolverines.

Southern Alaska contains grasslands and coniferous forests. Baribals, partridges, Alaskan geese, and hazel grouse live here. Among the ungulates, caribou and moose predominate, and musk oxen are sometimes found.

Off the coast of the state no less active life. Walruses, sea lions, and various seals live near Alaska. On the coast Pacific Ocean There are many shellfish, shrimp and crabs.