Cetaceans
| Species | More information | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Bowhead whale Balaena mysticetus |
The Bering Sea stock of bowhead whales is the species' only population that exists in significant numbers, due to previous commercial whaling. While there were 18,000 Bering Sea bowheads before the introduction of commercial whaling, as of 1992 their population was only between 6,400 and 9,200. Bering Sea bowheads follow a 3,600-mile (5800 km) migration route, wintering in the Bering Sea, then moving through the Bering Strait, across the Chuckchi Sea, and into the Canadian Beaufort Sea for the summer. To Alaskan Inuit, bowhead whales are the most important subsistence animal, both culturally and nutritionally. Subsistence whale hunts are managed in accordance with the International Whaling Commission; 41 whales were taken in 1993. | |
| North Pacific Right Whale Eubalaena japonica |
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| Blue whale Balaenoptera musculus |
Blue whales, which can be found in all the world's oceans, are rare north of the Bering Sea. Blue whales, which are migratory, may be seen in Alaska during the summer; historically, they have been sighted in the eastern Gulf of Alaska, the eastern Aleutians, and the far western Aleutians. Blue whales are rarely seen in near-shore Alaska waters, preferring to spend time along the edges of continental shelves. There have been few recent sightings of blue whales in Alaska; the total north Pacific population of blue whales was approximately 1,200 to 1,700 as of 1994, down from 4,900 to 6,000 before the advent of whaling. In the north Pacific, blue whales primarily eat the krill species Euphausia pacifica and Thysanoessa spinifera. | |
| Fin whale Balaenoptera physalus |
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| Sei whale Balaenoptera borealis |
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| Minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata |
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| Humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae |
Humpback whales are most commonly seen in Alaska during the summer; most of Alaska's humpbacks winter in Hawaii. While in Alaska, humpbacks frequent Southeast Alaska, Prince William Sound, the area near Kodiak and the Barren Islands, the area between the Semidi and Shumagin Islands, and the eastern Aleutian Islands and southern Bering Sea. Studies in the early 1990s showed that over 500 humpbacks summered in Southeast Alaska and over 100 summered in Prince William Sound. In Alaska, humpback whales' primary sources of food are herring, other small schooling fish, and krill; their primary predators are killer whales and humans. | |
| Gray whale Eschrichtius robustus |
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| Northern right-whale dolphin Lissodelphis borealis |
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| Striped Dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba|- |
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| Pacific white-sided dolphin Lagenorhynchus obliquidens |
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| Short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus |
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| Risso's dolphin Grampus griseus |
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| Killer whale Orcinus orca |
The Killer whale is also known as the orca whale because it has been known to attack and eat other whales, and large prey animals such as seals and sea lions. Orcas are scattered among the Continental Shelf from southeast Alaska through the Aleutian Islands. They can also be seen in the waters of Prince William Sound. | |
| Harbor porpoise Phocoena phocoena |
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| Dall's porpoise Phocoenoides dalli |
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| Beluga whale Delphinapterus leucas |
During the summer, belugas eat a variety of fish, occasionally supplemented by other small marine life. Belugas' winter feeding habits are virtually unknown. Belugas are generally found in the ocean, but they may also ascend large rivers such as the Yukon on occasion and do not appear to be affected by the salinity change. There are two populations of belugas in Alaska. The Cook Inlet population is found in the inlet and Shelikof Strait region, and numbers approximately 400 to 500 animals. The larger Bering Sea population ranges throughout the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas; this group comprises perhaps 25,000 animals. Alaska natives harvest small numbers of belugas for food and oil. | |
| Narwhal Monodon monoceros |
Occurs casually in Alaska waters. | |
| Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus |
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| Cuvier's beaked whale Ziphius cavirostris |
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| Stejneger's beaked whale Mesoplodon stejnegeri |
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Read more about this topic: List Of Mammals Of Alaska