Mammal
Coastal Brown Bear
Ursus arctos gyas
Among the largest bears on Earth, feeding on salmon, berries, and beach carrion. Best viewed July through September along coastal streams.
Wildlife Encyclopedia
The living inventory of the Alaska Peninsula.
Over 200 species call Cold Bay home. Here are the ones you'll want to see, hunt, or photograph.
Mammal
Alaska Peninsula Caribou
Rangifer tarandus granti
The Southern Alaska Peninsula herd migrates across open tundra between the Bering Sea and the Pacific. Fall movements are spectacular.
Waterfowl
Pacific Black Brant
Branta bernicla nigricans
Nearly the entire global population stages at Izembek each fall, feeding on the refuge's massive eelgrass beds before flying nonstop to Baja.
Waterfowl
Emperor Goose
Anser canagicus
One of the most beautiful geese in North America, wintering along the Alaska Peninsula coastline and Izembek lagoons.
Raptor
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Common year-round; densities peak during salmon runs when eagles congregate along river mouths and cutbanks.
Mammal
Aleutian Red Fox
Vulpes vulpes
Silver, cross, and red color phases are all present. Foxes den across the tundra and along beach bluffs.
Marine
Sea Otter
Enhydra lutris
Rafts of sea otters can be seen throughout Cold Bay and Izembek Lagoon, especially near kelp beds.
Upland Bird
Rock Ptarmigan
Lagopus muta
Alaska's official state bird — white in winter, mottled brown in summer — abundant on the peninsula's ridges.