We list here what we think are the most 'iconic' wildlife you can see in Canada, Alaska and the Arctic. We detail some interesting facts & figures about each type, plus of course, the best places and times to see them.
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Canada, Alaska & The Arctic
Moose in Denali National Park, Alaska
Boggy woodland and wetland regions are perfect moose habitat and dawn and dusk are the best times of the day to spot them. Some of the best places to encounter moose are New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Algonquin Provincial Park and Alberta’s Banff and Jasper National Parks. In Alaska they are particularly abundant in Denali National Park and the Kenai Peninsula.
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Moose are ungainly and almost comical-looking members of the deer family, with their long, spindly legs, drooping noses and huge racks of antlers.
Much of Canada and Alaska, offering great swathes of temperate and sub Arctic forest, is perfect moose terrain and they are widespread throughout these regions.
They are generally solitary, with the strongest bonds between mother and calf. Moose can most frequently be seen at dawn and dusk in wet, boggy woodland, foraging for birch, willow, alder and aspen saplings. The males are polygamous and will seek several females to breed with, often fighting other males for the privilege. They will either assess which is larger, and the smaller bull retreats, or they may engage in battles that can turn violent. Mating occurs in September and October when both sexes will call to each other using heavy grunting and wail-like sounds. The male will shed his antlers after the mating season and conserve energy for the winter. A new set of antlers will then grow back in the spring, taking between three to five months to fully develop, making them one of the fastest growing animal organs.
A full-grown moose has few enemies, but a pack of wolves can still pose a threat, especially to females with calves. Grizzly bears are also known to prey on moose, although bears are more likely to take over a wolf kill than to hunt moose on their own. Black bears can also be a significant predator of moose calves in May and June.