Collared Pika. Denali National Park, Alaska. Gotta love that furry little nose!

From the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
The collared pika is the only species of pika found in Alaska. Closely related to hares and rabbits, pikas are charismatic but lesser known members of the order Lagomorpha.

Pikas have stocky bodies, short legs, large round ears, and are almost tailless. A distinct grayish patch on the shoulder and neck forms the "collar" from which the collared pika derives its name, appearing in definite contrast to the white fur on its chest and stomach. Pikas have fur-covered feet, but bare toe pads. Their sharp, curved claws help them climb from rock to rock with ease. Pikas are highly alert, possessing excellent hearing and vision. There is no discernable size difference between males and females. When fully grown, they weigh about 5 ounces (140 g; range 110–220 g).

Tags:   pika collared lizard alaskan wildlife denali wildlife denali national park conservation protect the environment protect public lands protect wildlife wildlife of the west Wildlife alaska pika lagomorph cute animal

© All Rights Reserved

Catching a nap between fishing and clamming activities.

Tags:   coastal brown bear fantastic wildlife dailynaturetnc11 photoofthedaynwf12 PhotoContest-TNC12 PhotoContest-TNC13 wildlife of the west

© All Rights Reserved

Taken Near the Window Trail
This image appears in the April, 2012 issue of Texas Monthly Magazine
Mountain lion sightings in the wild are very rare. They roam huge territories, they blend perfectly with their surroundings and they don't really like to be around people. So a sighting that results in a quality photo opportunity is something beyond rare. This Mountain Lion image was taken in Big Bend National Park. Despite this National Park being known for mountain lion sightings, the odds are still very poor that a park visitor will actually see one. I spoke to park employees in Big Bend, some of whom had worked there over 30 years, and most of them had never even gotten a glimpse one of these magnificent animals. My friends and family will tell you that I always considered a mountain lion photo as the holy grail of my photography . Though I wanted to capture an image of a mountain lion above all else, I knew it wasn't really very likely that it would ever happen. But after many years of looking for one of these beautiful and elusive big cats, I finally got the sighting AND the shot

Tags:   DailyNature-TNC11 mountain lion image mountain lion photo mountain lion texas Fantastic Wildlife photoofthedaynwf12 PhotoContest-TNC12 PhotoContest-TNC13

© All Rights Reserved

Coastal Brown Bear with Silver Salmon lunch.
Lake Clark National Park, AK
For best viewing, click on the image and view in a larger size.

Tags:   brown bear with fish DailyNature-TNC13 Fantastic Wildlife coastal brown bear alaskan brown bear lake clark national park bear WPDAnimals

© All Rights Reserved

Head-on image of a bull moose in splashes of fall color. Denali National Park. This is my one thousandth post to Flickr.
Best viewed Large.

Tags:   Bull Moose denali moose denali wildlife denali national park DailyNature-TNC14 DailyNature-TNC16 wildlife of the west bull moose in autumn colors alaskan wildlife alaskan moose alces WPDAnimals

© All Rights Reserved