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Taken on the shoreline of the Beaufort Sea, an Arctic Fox prowls the shoreline for any food that may have washed ashore. The Arctic Fox lives year around in the Arctic regions of Alaska and can endure temperatures well below freezing in comfort. They follow the Polar Bears out on the sea ice during the winter months and scavenge scraps left after the bear is done with its kill.
During the summer months, their fur will turn to a brown calico color as they have their young on land. Their litter will be between 4 and 18 kits with 6 to 8 being the norm. The Arctic Fox is much smaller than its cousin the Red Fox. They stand between 9 and 12 inches tall and from nose to tail are between 30 and 44 inches. They weigh between 6 to 10 lbs with the males being slightly larger than the females.
Saw this sow Polar Bear out on the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean. As soon as she made land, she went down on her belly and scooted along the bank. I can only assume she had an itch she needed scratched. After scooting for a few minutes, she sat on her butt and then rolled in the dirt some more.
Located this beautiful Sea Lion near the fish wier in Valdez Alaska. There were three Sea Lions feeding close to the shore, this one being the middle of the three.
The Sea Lion would pick the salmon up and shake it vigorously until the fish would break in half. I couldn't tell, but I believe after it broke in half, it would eat the eggs.
The red dots coming out of the salmon are eggs.
There were thousands of salmon at the fish wier waiting for their turn to swim upstream. Unfortunately, for many, their fate was the same as the one in this photo.
There were also Harbor Seals nearby eating the salmon as well as Sea Otters.
Not sure why, but when I see a Sea Otter, I always think of Wilfred Brimley. (Some of you younger folks may not know who he is, google him)
Taken in Valdez Alaska from the shore. We seen Otters, Seals and Sea Lions all together feasting on the salmon that were congregating in the harbor.
Valdez Alaska is about a 6 1/2 hour drive from our cabin. A few summers ago, we drove down for a day trip just to get out of the house. We sat alongside the ocean watching otters, seals and sea lions swimming around. One sea lion took particular interest in my wife and kept swimming by her getting closer with every pass. She was sitting on the rocks by the ocean and the sea lion came really close, guessing about 15 to 20 feet away at the most.
My wife still talks about this day. We are hoping to go back this summer and see if we can experience this again.
Just as a Stellar's Sea Lion bites down, a salmon's life ends and the Sea Lion gains nourishment.
There is no anger, no malice, no pride, no trophy in the Sea Lion's hunt. The hunt is only for food.
Thousands of Silver Salmon return to Valdez each August to lay their eggs in the same streams they were born in. Only a small percentage make it to the breeding streams, most, like this salmon, die before laying their eggs.
While watching a Sea Otter at rest in Resurrection Bay, the otter started cleaning itself. My wife loves the expression on the otter's face in this photo, so this one is for her.
The sea otter will dive underwater for clams or fish, then float on their back while eating.
The Sea Otter was almost hunted into extinction back in the 19th century by fur traders. Fortunately, enough survived so we can enjoy them today.
A mother and her pup swim alongside each other in the waters off of Cordova Alaska. The mother's nose has scars on it from the mating rituals of the Sea Otters. (the male will often bite the females nose while mating)
The sun shown through the clouds momentarily and gave a beautiful light to photograph in. I was standing on a dock very still, and the otters came very close to me. The closest encounter, I could have bent down and touched one of them.
The only thing I miss about traveling to the Arctic for work is the wildlife. I was born in the midwest where wildlife was rare and predators were more or less non-existant. Never did I think I would ever see a Polar Bear, let alone be able to photograph one.
This is a sow Polar Bear, looking over the Arctic Ocean near Kaktovik. I only had a few minutes to photograph her so I did the best I could in the time I had.
Not sure why her face was so brown, but she definately was healthy. With the size of her belly, I am sure she was pregnant. Polar Bears give birth between September and Janurary having between 1 and 3 cubs. (Most being born in December and Janurary)
During the late summer, early autumn, Polar Bears will wander to the banks of the Arctic Ocean. The reason they do this is, the sea ice begins to travel south in the Arctic Ocean. They will hunt on the ice during the long dark winter months, looking for seals, both Bearded and Ringed Seals.
The Polar Bears are very good swimmers and have been documented swimming well over 50 miles in frigid Arctic waters.
They can smell prey over 5 miles away and even smell the seal's breathing holes in the ice up to a half mile away. When they find a breathing hole, they will lay still, waiting for a seal to come up for air, then attack.
During the fall, when the whaling season is open, they will wait on known whaling islands for food from the Eskimo community. There is an old photograph of an Eskimo elder cutting off a piece of whale blubber and hand feeding a Polar Bear. (Not highly recommended by the photographer)
Polar Bears do a walking "fast" during the summer months. Female Polar Bears who are pregnant, will den in snow caves during winter. The females have been documented going for 8 months without food while caring for their young.
Polar Bears are the only species of bears that will actively hunt human beings. In the last 150 years, there have been 73 reported Polar Bear attacks on humans in the Polar regions, 20 resulting in deaths. Their was a mother and child killed in Janurary of this year, 2023, in Wales Alaska. The community was aware that there was a Polar Bear in the area and it chased multiple residents. Unfortunately, the mother and child could not outrun the bear. The bear was shot and killed by another resident, but was too late to save the two.
A mother Sea Otter with a nearly full grown pup, float on the water in the Ocean of Cordova Alaska. The pup is nearly full grown, however, the mother will continue to care and nurse the pup for up to a year. The mothers bond very closely to their pups, cleaning, feeding and teaching the pup how to survive in the wild. She will teach the pup how to forage for food from the ocean floor. When the pup is young, the mother will dive down and leave the pup on the surface. The pup will cry out loudly when its mother is underwater until she returns. If a pup is orphaned, it is common for another otter to adopt it and raise it with her own pup.
It looks as if this Stellar Sea Lion is about to swallow the photographer whole. In reality, another sea lion was encroching on his territory and he was giving a not so friendly roar at the intruder.
Bull Stellar Sea Lions measure between 9 and 11 feet in length and can weigh up to 2500 pounds with an average weight of 1500 pounds.
Each summer, the Stellar Sea Lions, harbor seals, sea otters and both black and brown bears gather at the mouth of salmon streams to gorge themselves on the bounty of fish.
Dedicated to the memory of Eddie Rose King, my beautiful wife. 1955-2025.
Ventured over to Cordova Alaska last fall to photograph bears. As fate would have it, only saw one glimpse of a bear as it ran into the woods and that was it for bears. (Cordova is known for its bear population)
Went to the boat harbor and found a small group of Sea Otters floating around. Walked out to the edge of the docks, where there were no boats and stood still. Sure enough, the curious otters came close.
In this photo, an otter pup looks directly at the photographer while its mother goes under to gather food. The pup will stay with its mother for 12 months and the bond between mother and pup is very strong.
A foggy rainy day in Valdez is the right time for harbor seals and seagulls to rest on buoys. No worries about bills, inflation or problems at work. Eating, swimming and resting, maybe being a seal isn't such a bad thing, that is, if you like raw fish!
We love the ocean, the salty smell, looking for treasures on the beach, watching the wildlife, the sounds of waves. A dream of ours is to live close to the ocean, perhaps someday, perhaps.
Stellar Sea Lions roam the North Pacific waters in search of food. They are a top tier predator, with only Killer Whales and sharks as those above them. They prefer the colder water of sub arctic Alaska and Russia.
In this photo, there was a pod of Sea Lions after salmon that were gathering near a fresh water stream. The salmon are easy prey for the Sea Lions and also harbor seals, otters, black and brown bears, and of course, humans.
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Paris #pa_1522 #invaderwashere #protectoceans #freepaulwatson #paris #parisstreetart #spaceinvaders #flashinvaders
“When the sun rises, it rises for everyone.” Hello truth and I’m grateful for the history of my life. No complaints so 52 here I come for Halloween! Birthdays are a reminder to be present and enjoy the moments hello-Maury.tumblr.com