Kodiak Island Wildlife

Kodiak Island, nicknamed the Emerald Isle, gleams like a gem in the North Pacific. Lush, green mountains soar skyward from the ocean, framing the deep, fjord-like bays. The island’s wet, maritime climate and mild temperatures encourage the growth of thick vegetation, which provides sustenance for the wildlife on the island. The Alaska Current, an offshoot of the warm Japanese Kuroshio Current, flows northward near Kodiak, bringing warm water and nutrients to the frigid Gulf of Alaska. These nutrients form the basis for one of the richest marine ecosystems in the world.

Kodiak bears reign as the island’s monarchs, and they are one of the six endemic mammals on Kodiak. Man has introduced many other wild mammals to the Kodiak Archipelago. The ocean surrounding Kodiak teems with seals, sea otters, sea lions, porpoises, and whales, and no description of Kodiak wildlife would be complete without including bald eagles, puffins, arctic terns, and oystercatchers.

How does the wildlife of Kodiak Island survive frigid winters and violent storms? What manmade conditions threaten the marine and land mammals, and what current or recent research are biologists conducting on the island’s wildlife?

Learn more about this beautiful North Pacific island and its amazing wildlife.