Animals

A bear splashes into a stream and emerges with a spawning salmon ... tundra swans glide elegantly across a boggy pond ... a porcupine curls up and shows his quills to a curious hiker ... a sharp-shinned hawk dives on a redback vole ... wolves howl into the winter night. Lake Clark National Park and Preserve teems with wildlife. Among the reasons congress set aside Lake Clark as a national park and preserve was to protect habitat for wilderness dependent populations of fish and wildlife. The area's intact ecosystems support a full complement of sub-arctic wildlife species, none of which are endangered or invasive species.

 

The red fox is found throughout Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, and much of Alaska.

NPS Photo / Kevyn Jalone

 

Mammals

Thirty-seven species of terrestrial mammals are believed to be present in the Lake Clark region and five different marine mammal species use haul-out sites or feeding areas along the coast. To learn more, look through the following links:

 

 

Birds

From migratory birds that arrive in Lake Clark from wintering grounds around the world, to resident birds that brave Alaska’s long winters like the gray jay and boreal chickadee, over one hundred eighty species of birds have been observed in the park and preserve.

 

 

Fish

Salmon, rainbow trout, and arctic grayling are among the twenty-five species of freshwater and anadromous fish spend part or all of their lives in the park and preserve’s waterways. Anadromous fish are born in fresh water, spend most of their lives in the ocean, and return to fresh water to spawn. To learn more, look through the following links:

 

 

Viewing Wildlife Ethically - Take The Pledge!

The state of Alaska offers the following wildlife viewing ethics guidelines. Pledge to uphold them and keep the wildlife wild!

• Give wildlife plenty of space. Binoculars and spotting scopes allow you to view wildlife without getting too close.
• Approach wildlife slowly, quietly, and indirectly. Always give animals an avenue for retreat.
• Try to view animals without changing their behavior. Avoid using calls or devices that attract wildlife. Resist the temptation to throw rocks to see a flock fly. Remember - harassing wildlife is illegal.
• Be respectful of nesting and denning areas, rookeries, and calving grounds. Well-meaning but intrusive visitors may cause parents to flee, leaving young vulnerable to the elements or predators.
• Leave "orphaned" or sick animals alone. Young animals that appear alone usually have parents waiting nearby.
• Restrain pets or leave them at home. They may startle, chase, spread disease, or even kill wildlife.
• Let animals eat their natural foods.
• Learn to recognize signs of alarm. These are sometimes subtle. Leave if an animal shows them.

 

See the lists of mammals, fish, birds, and other wildlife species that live in Lake Clark using the search box below.

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

Select a Park:

Lake Clark National Park & Preserve

Select a Species Category (optional):

All Amphibians Birds Fish Mammals Reptiles Vascular Plants

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Species attribute definitions

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Visit NPSpecies for more comprehensive information and advanced search capability. Have a suggestion or comment on this list? Let us know.