See You At The Movies

Coming to Theaters
April 18th

A large part of the movie was filmed with us at Hallo Bay.

Come see us soon.

Fox

Red foxes are members of the dog family Canidae, and their general appearance is similar to dogs, wolves, and coyotes. The European red fox is the same species as the American red fox. The red fox measures 22 to 32 inches (56–82 cm) in head and body length, and the tail is 14 inches to 16 inches (35–43 cm) long. The adult fox weigh from six to 15 pounds (2.7–6.8 kg), but it appears heavier than it actually is. The males, or “dogs,” are usually heavier than the females, or “vixens.”

The red fox is usually recognized by its reddish coat, its white-tipped tail, and black “stockings,” although the species does have many color variations. The outside of the ears may be black-tipped, while the inside is usually white. The white tip on the tail will distinguish this fox from other species, regardless of its color phase. Red is the most common color, but the hair may be from light yellowish to deep auburn red. Several color phases can occur in one litter. Red foxes displaying a distinct color pattern are referred by the name of that phase (i.e., red, cross, silver, black). The cross fox, for example, has a black/brown cross on the back and shoulders. The silver and black phases are similar. However, the black does not have the silver-tipped guard hairs characteristic of the silver fox. The occurrence of black-silver phase appears to increase toward the north and the northwest of Alaska. However, even where most abundant, it comprises less than two percent of the population.

Wolves of Hallo Bay

Ptarmigan

Driven by their reproductive urge, males become less and less tolerant of each other throughout March and April. In early spring, males stake claims to parcels of ground that they defend in good weather, but spring snowstorms will send these males back into flocks. By late April or early May, males establish permanent territories that they defend in fair weather or foul. Hens arrive on the breeding grounds a bit later than males and then select their mates and nesting areas (often the same ones used the previous year). Males usually remain monogamous within a breeding season. By late May the first eggs are laid under a shrub at the edge of an opening. The males stay on their territories throughout June, although the intense strutting, tailfanning and aerial chasing typical of the courtship period wanes after the hens begin to incubate their clutch for about three weeks, which averages between six to ten eggs. Most Alaskan ptarmigan chicks hatch in late June and early July.

Unlike other North American grouse or ptarmigan, male willow ptarmigan usually help to care for their chicks. Sometimes, in fact, males will take over all family responsibilities if the hen is killed. Both adult willow ptarmigan are vigorous in their defense of the brood. One of the thrills in store for the Alaskan traveler is the chance to watch the excited actions of a female ptarmigan as she tries to distract attention from her chicks by simulating injury or to duck the flailing wings of the male as he dives at the two-legged intruder, cackling gutturally as he flies.

Bear Facts

Bear Facts

1. A polar bear’s stomach can hold 150 lbs. (68 kg) of meat.
2. Panda bears have an extra “thumb” (which is actually an extra-large wrist bone) just for holding onto bamboo stalks. A panda bear can eat over 45 lbs. (20.4 kg) of bamboo per day.
3. The giant panda has a large head for its body. Scientists believe this is because it needs a strong jaw and neck muscles to eat bamboo, which makes up 99% of its diet. The remaining 1% consists of insects on the bamboo and dead meat that the panda may find.
4. Sloth bears’ favorite food is termites. These bears have no front teeth, so they easily suck out insects from their nests like a vacuum cleaner. They can also seal their nostrils for better suction.
5. Bears have been known to eat almost anything, including snowmobile seats, engine oil, and rubber boots.
6. Lumber companies felt they had no choice but to kill the black bears in Washington State that were eating the bark from trees. However, once someone thought to put piles of food in the forest, the bears stopped eating the trees, and were happy to eat the free food. Because feeding the bears cost less than killing them, the lumber companies were happy, too.
7. About 98% of the grizzly bear population in the U.S. lives in Alaska.
8. A polar bear can swim up to 100 miles without resting.
9. Bears can see almost as well as humans, and they can hear a little better. But they can smell much better. In fact, a bear’s sense of smell is around 100 times greater than a human’s. Polar bears can track down an odor from 20 miles (32 km) away. They can smell a dead seal under 3 feet of solid ice.
10. In 2004, a black bear was found unconscious in a campground in Seattle, Washington. It had broken into a cooler and used its claws and teeth to open dozens of beer cans. Although it sampled other types of beer, it chose to drink all the cans of only one type of beer. After its drinking binge, the bear passed out.

Bears

Sea Otters

Sea otters are very good swimmers. They can spend their whole lives in the water though they may occasionally haul out on land to rest. However, they are very clumsy on land and won’t venture more than a few yards away from water.

Sea otters are very social animals. They sometimes travel in groups and may gather together to rest. Concentrations of over 1,000 animals have been seen floating together in a single area.

Breeding males are territorial and defend areas where females are concentrated. They will drive other males out of their territory. Nonbreeding males may form their own groups in an area just outside the breeding territory.

Sea otters do not undergo long distance migrations. They generally remain in a home range that may be a few square km up to 40 km2.

Wolves

Bird Facts

The chicken is the closest living relative to the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Many birds kept as pets, including doves, parakeets, and lovebirds, enjoy living in pairs for companionship.

The smallest bird egg belongs to the hummingbird and is the size of a pea.  The largest bird egg, from which the ostrich hatches, is the size of a cantaloupe.

A bird’s eye takes up about 50 percent of its head; our eyes take up about 5 percent of our head. To be comparable to a bird’s eyes, our eyes would have to be the size of baseballs.

The penguin is the only bird that can swim, but not fly. It is also the only bird that walks upright.

Owls turn their heads almost 360○ (a complete circle) but they cannot move their eyes.

Chickens have over 200 distinct noises they make for communicating.

When it comes to birds, the males tend to have the more glamorous feather shape, coloration, songs, and dances.  Female birds choose their mate based on how attractive they find them!

It is estimated that one third of all bird owners turn on a radio for their pet when they leave the house.

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day

Bears Bears Bears

Alaska Fun Facts

Mountains:
Of the 20 highest peaks in the United States, 17 are in Alaska. Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America, is 20,320 ft. above sea level. Denali, the Indian name for the peak, means "The Great One."
Water Bodies:
The Yukon River, almost 2,000 miles long, is the third longest river in the U.S. There are more than 3,000 rivers in Alaska and over 3 million lakes. The largest, Lake Iliamna, encompasses over 1,000 square miles.
Glaciers:
Alaska has an estimated 100,000 glaciers, ranging from tiny cirque glaciers to huge valley glaciers. There are more active glaciers and ice fields in Alaska than in the rest of the inhabited world. The largest glacier is the Malaspina at 850 square miles. Five percent of the state, or 29,000 square miles, is covered by glaciers.
Compass Points:
Alaska boasts the northernmost (Point Barrow), the easternmost (Pochnoi Point on Semisopochnoi Island in the Aleutians), and the westernmost (Amatignak Island in the Aleutians) points in the United States.
Coastline:
Alaska has 6,640 miles of coastline and, including islands, has 33,904 miles of shoreline.
Volcanoes:
There are more than 70 potentially active volcanoes in Alaska. Several have erupted in recent times. The most violent volcanic eruption of the century took place in 1912 when Novarupta Volcano erupted, creating the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes which is now part of Katmai National Park.

Ermine

Ermine have a typical weasel form with long body, short legs, long neck supporting a triangular head, slightly protruding round ears, and long whiskers. Their pelage is reddish-brown above and creamy white below in summer, and changes to completely white in winter with the tip of the tail remaining black in all seasons. Males are generally 25% to 50% larger than females however, the sexes of ermine on Haida Gwaii (M. e. haidarum) are more similar in size.

Ermine resemble the long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata) in general appearance and coloration, but is smaller, has a shorter tail, and has white fur on the inner side of the hind legs. Least weasels (Mustela nivalis) are also similar in appearance to M. erminea, but are smaller and do not have any black on the tail.

Pink Salmon

Pink salmon are the smallest of the Pacific salmon found in North America weighing on average between 3.5 and 5 pounds, with an average length of 20-25 inches. As with all members of the salmon family, pink salmon are coldwater fish. They are also the most numerous Pacific salmon and have been harvested and canned commercially in Alaska since the late 1800’s. Young pink salmon are completely silver without any dark vertical bars or spots. In the ocean, adults are bright greenish-blue on top and silvery on its sides. They have very small scales and pink flesh. As adults get closer to returning to fresh water, they develop a lot of large black spots on their back and all over their tail. When pinks approach their spawning streams, males turn brown to black on their back with a bright white belly. Females have a bright white belly but turn an olive green with dusky bars or patches that can be lavender or a dark gold. By the time males enter the stream where they will spawn, they have developed a very large hump, and hooked jaws called a kype.

Wolves of Hallo Bay

Bear Movie

Coming Soon to a theater near you.

Disney 'Bears' Movie

 

Bears of Hallo Bay