This is a list of all mammals currently found in the U.S. state of Alaska, whether resident or as migrants. With 112 mammal species, Alaska ranks 12th of the 50 U.S. states in mammalian diversity. Not included in this list is the Steller's sea cow, an extinct sirenian that was once native to Alaska's Aleutian Islands before being hunted to extinction in 1768.

This article presents the common and scientific names for each species, along more information about the animal. Where the species is unique to Alaska, this article presents a brief overview of the species. Where the species is not unique to Alaska, this article gives information about the habits and distribution that are characteristic of animals occurring in the state. The range maps that accompany the descriptions vary in their precision according to the sources on which they are based. Readers are advised to click on the maps and examine the source information for more information on the species' ranges.

Eulipotyphlans Eulipotyphlans are insectivorous mammals. Alaska shrews have not been studied as much as most of its animals, so many particulars of their distribution, breeding cycles, and population remain unknown. Currently, ten species of shrews have been identified in Alaska, but debate remains over their identity and genetic relationships. All of Alaska's shrew species look alike to lay observers, but experts differentiate them based on their ranges and skull structure. Shrews live throughout the state, even on isolated islands, in habitats from temperate rain forests of the Southeast to Arctic tundra. They generally eat insects, spiders, and other small invertebrates, though they may also eat other vertebrates and plants. Their predators in Alaska include weasels, marten, fox, domestic cats, other shrews, and owls. Shrews may be helpful in agricultural areas by eating insects, but elsewhere they may be pests by eating household meat left uncovered. None of Alaska's shrew populations is threatened, with the possible exception of the Pribilof Island shrew.

Species More information Range Sorex alaskanus Glacier Bay water shrews are known from Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in southeast Alaska.Common shrew Sorex cinereus The common shrew is one of the two most widespread species of shrew in Alaska (the other being the dusky shrew). It is found from the Brooks Range to Southeast Alaska.Pygmy shrew Sorex hoyi Image The pygmy shrew is found throughout most of the state except the North Slope and the southeast.Pribilof Island shrew Sorex hydrodromus Image The Pribilof Island shrew is found only on the Pribilof Islands.St. Lawrence Island shrew Sorex jacksoni The St. Lawrence Island shrew is found only on St. Lawrence Island.Dusky shrew Sorex monticolus Image The dusky shrew is one of the two most widespread species of shrew in Alaska (the other being the common shrew). It is found from the Brooks Range to Southeast Alaska.Water shrew Sorex palustris The water shrew is found from Southcentral and Southeast Alaska to the Alaska Range in the north.Tundra shrew Sorex tundrensis Tundra shrews are found throughout most of the state except the southeast.Barrenground shrew Sorex ugyunak Image Barrenground shrews are found on the North Slope.Tiny shrewSorex yukonicus Image The tiny shrew appears to be widespread but uncommon in Alaska.Sorex yukonicus - University of Alaska Museum

Bats Bats are not abundant in Alaska, and are generally found only in Southeast Alaska, some of Southcentral Alaska, and in the Interior as far north as the Yukon River.

Species More information Range Big brown bat Eptesicus fuscus Only one big brown bat has ever been confirmed in Alaska. It is the largest bat in Alaska, weighing on average 14g (0.5 oz). California myotis Myotis californicus As with other myotis species in Alaska, the California myotis often roosts in abandoned buildings and old mines; they may also be found roosting alone in trees or rock crevices. California bats have been observed hibernating in Southeast Alaska. Keen's myotis Myotis keenii As with other myotis species in Alaska, Keen's myotis often roosts in abandoned buildings and old mines; they may also be found roosting alone in trees or rock crevices. It is suspected that it hibernates in Southeast Alaska. Little brown bat Myotis lucifugus The little brown bat is the most common and widespread bat in Alaska. As with other myotis species in Alaska, little brown bats often roost in abandoned buildings and old mines; they may also be found roosting alone in trees or rock crevices. Little brown bats have been observed hibernating in Southeast Alaska and Kodiak Island. Long-legged myotis Myotis volans As with other myotis species in Alaska, the long-legged myotix often roosts in abandoned buildings and old mines; they may also be found roosting alone in trees or rock crevices. It is suspected that it hibernates in Southeast Alaska. Silver-haired bat After the big brown bat, the silver-haired bats is the largest bat in Alaska. It is only found in Southeast Alaska, and only during winter. It roosts alone in trees.

Carnivorans

Felids Species More information Range map Canadian lynx Lynx canadensis Lynx live in a wide range in Alaska, but due to being mostly nocturnal and instinctively secretive predators they are rarely seen by humans. They share a "boom and bust" symbiotic life cycle with the snowshoe hare, the main animal they prey on. In times of booming hare population lynx are spotted more frequently as their numbers rise as well. After the lynx and other predators have decimated the hare population their numbers go down in the following years. CougarPuma concolor It is unlikely that there is a breeding population of cougars in Alaska, but periodic sightings indicate that some cougars venture into the state. Generally the state receives two or three reports of cougar sightings per year. Reports have come from as far northwest as Homer,Cougar sightings in East Hill neighborhoods continue Chris Eshleman, Homer News, 3/13/05 but the most credible reports come from the Southeast, which is relatively near an established population of cougars in British Columbia. Populations of mountain lions have been increasing in the American West and in Canada, and biologists have speculated that within fifty years Alaska could have a breeding population of its own.

Canids Species More information RangeCoyoteCanis latrans Coyotes have only been seen in Alaska since the early 20th century; they were originally reported in Southeast Alaska, but have expanded across the state. The state's coyote population peaked in the 1940s and has declined in many areas since. Coyotes are most common in the Kenai Peninsula, the Mat-Su Valley, and the Copper River Valley and are rare north of the Yukon River. In Alaska, coyotes' diets consist primarily of snowshoe hares, rodents, and carrion; predators of the young include great horned owls, bald eagles, and golden eagles; adults are preyed upon by wolves, bears and cougars. The state offered bounties for killing coyotes in the early 20th century (as did other states); the bounty program ended in 1969, and today a small number of coyotes are trapped in Alaska each year. Because coyotes are very secretive, they are rarely seen by Alaska residents.Gray wolfCanis lupus There are five subspecies of wolves in Alaska;Alaska Department of Fish & Game. "Wolf." 2005-5-23. Retrieved on February 6, 2007. the northwestern wolf, Interior Alaskan wolf, Alaskan tundra wolf, Alexander Archipelago wolf and Arctic wolf. Wolves in the southeast are darker and smaller than those in northern regions. Wolves are found on the mainland of Alaska, Unimak Island, and on most major islands in the southeast. There is approximately one wolf per in Alaska. In recent years, efforts to control wolf population through aerial hunting have been a source of controversy in the state. The Arctic subspecies is also found in northern Canada. Arctic fox Arctic foxes are found in treeless coastal areas in the Aleutian Islands and on the state's west and north coasts. Two color morphs occur in the state: white-morph foxes are white in the winter and brown in the summer, while blue-morph foxes are charcoal-colored in summer and a somewhat lighter gray in winter. During the summer, Arctic foxes feed mainly on small animals, but during the winter foxes often venture onto sea ice to eat seal carcasses left by polar bears. Arctic foxes are sometimes trapped for fur; the fur trade is important to many coastal Native villages, though demand for Arctic fox fur has decreased in recent years. This subspecies is also found in Northern Canada. Red foxVulpes vulpes Red foxes are found throughout Alaska, except for the Western Aleutians, some islands in Southeast Alaska, and Prince William Sound. It is an introduced animal on many of the state's islands due to turn of the 20th century fox farming. Red foxes, which are most common south of the Arctic tundra, prefer low marshes, hilly areas, and broken country. Where the red fox's range overlaps with that of the Arctic fox, the red fox dominates. In Alaska, most red foxes are of the characteristic red color phase, but other color phases—which comprise up to 2% of foxes in certain northern areas—include "cross", silver, and black. Predators of red foxes include wolves, lynx, coyotes, wolverines, humans (primarily as trappers), and perhaps bears.

Bears Species More information Range Black bear Black bears, which are much smaller than the state's brown bears, are found in larger numbers on the mainland of Alaska, but are not found on the islands off of the Gulf of Alaska and the Seward Peninsula.Alaska Department of Fish & Game. "Black Bear." 2005-5-23. Retrieved on February 6, 2007. Black bears have been seen in Alaska in a few different shades of colors such as black, brown, cinnamon, and even a rare blue shade. They are widely scattered over Alaska, and pose more of a problem to humans because they come in close contact with them on a regular basis. They are considered a nuisance because they frequently stroll through local towns, camps, backyards, and streets because of their curiosity and easy food sources such as garbage. Black bears didn't live in Alaska until the end of the last ice age.Grizzly bear/Kodiak bearUrsus arctos ssp. Alaska contains about 98% of the U.S. brown bear population and 70% of the total North American population. Brown bears can be found throughout the state, with the exclusion of some outlying islands.Alaska Department of Fish & Game. "Brown Bear." 2005-5-23. Retrieved on February 6, 2007. Most brown bears in Alaska are grizzly bears (the subspecies of brown bear found throughout North America), but Kodiak Island is home to Kodiak bears, another subspecies of brown bear that is the largest subspecies and second only to the polar bear in size. The density of brown bear populations in Alaska varies according to the availability of food, and in some places is as high as one bear per square mile. More information... Polar bearUrsus maritimus Alaska's polar bear populations are concentrated along its Arctic coastlines. In the winter, they are most common in the Kuskokwim Delta, St. Matthew Island, and at the southernmost portion of St. Lawrence Island. During the summer months, they migrate to the coastlines of the Arctic Ocean and the Chukchi Sea.Alaska Department of Fish & Game. "Polar Bear." 2005-5-23. Retrieved on February 8, 2007 Conservation efforts, including the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act, have limited polar bear hunts, though polar bear populations may be threatened by oil development and global warming. More information...

Pinnipeds