Denali National Park
By Madeline Peterson
Geography and Climate
• The park covers 6 million acres of land
• Winter is the longest season
• Is more affected than most areas of the world
by global warming because of the high
elevation
• Animal populations of Denali National park
will be severely affected by global climate
change.
History
• Inuits have lived in the area for 0ver 11,000 years.
• The park was originally started as a preserve for Dall
Sheep.
• Founded on February 26th, 1917 as Mt. Mckinley national
park.
• Denali is inuit for “the high one” referring to the
mountain.
• In 1980 Mt. McKinley National Park combined with
Denali monument to make Denali National Park.
Grizzly Bears
• Home to between 200 and 300 grizzly bears.
• 23 people have died or sustained injuries from grizzly
attacks in the park
• Most bear attacks are provoked by humans.
• Grizzlies are omnivorous meaning they eat both plants
and animals, and a large part of their diet is salmon.
• Female grizzlies have up to 3 cubs that stay with her for 2
to 3 years
• Average bear stands 7 feet tall and weighs between 400
and 600 pounds
• Hibernate for 5 or 6 months in the winter.
Black Bears
• Very little is known about the Denali black bears, because
they stay well hidden in the forests.
• Rarely encountered.
• The number of black bears cant even be estimated
because so few have been seen.
Wolves
• Approximately 100 wolves in Denali Park
• Between 12 and 18 wolf packs live in territories that
range from 200 to 800 square miles
• While a meal is anything from a mouse to a moose, the
most common prey in Denali is caribou, Dall sheep,
moose, beaver, and ground squirrels.
• Wolves have brains twice the size of a domestic dog.
• Leading natural cause of death for wolves is them killing
each other over territory/pack disputes.
• Largest wolf captured in Denali weighed 135 pounds
• Average weight is 85 for females and 105 for males
• There are no accounts of wolf attacks in the park.
Moose
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Moose weigh between 800 and 1500 pounds.
Over 2000 live on the North range of Denali.
Moose eat willow twigs and branches in the winter.
Can stand from 5 to 6 ½ feet at the shoulder.
In the summer, they eat plants from ponds and lakes
Caribou
• In the 1920’s and 30’s, there were 10,000 caribou in the
park
• Due to overhunting there are now about 1,760 caribou
• Diet consists mainly of lichen
• Weigh from 130 to 150 pounds
• Stand about 4 feet at the shoulder
Plant Life
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Denali is home to more than 1,200 species of plants
Plants form the foundation for life in the park
Over 650 species of flowering plants
Located in the sub arctic biome
All of the plants are organic to the area. None have been
imported or accidentally carried over from other biomes
and parts of the world. This is due to the lack of roads
and small population in the surrounding area.
Dall Sheep
• Sheep on average live till they are 12
• Live in the mountains in summer through fall
• In early summer, sheep will graze on the tundra and will
go farther up the mountains following the snowmelt
• They use the ridges and steep slopes for feeding and
resting, and the rocks and crags to elude predators
• They can grow from 150 to 300 pounds
• Feed on a wide variety of plants.
Fish
• Denali is not noted for its fishing.
• Most streams and lakes have a high glacial silt content
resulting in poor fish habitat.
• In Denali you don’t need to have a license to fish because
fishing is so poor.
• There are only 14 species of fish in the park.
Birds
• There are 169 species of birds in the park
• Full time resident birds are gyrfalcons, ptarmigan, blackcapped and boreal chickadees, and redpolls
• Spring brings the return of 80% of bird life.