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Sea otters, saved from extinction by U.S. Government protection, are being studied by a Bureau biologist. The principal 

 range of the sea otter, rarest and most valuable of American furs, is along the rocky coasts of the Alaska Peninsula 

 and certain islands in northern seas. (Photo by Karl W. Kenyon) 



The manvmals of Alaska. — A unique assem- 

 blage of mammals inhabit Alaska, and there is a 

 growing interest in tliem on the part of students, 

 sportsmen, wildlife managers, and conservation- 

 ists. This fauna, as now understood, consists of 

 102 living species and includes 28 that are strictly 

 marine, such as whales, porpoises, walrus, and 

 seals, and 6 introduced forms, such as the reindeer, 

 musk ox, Xorway rat, and house mouse. Some are 

 among the world's most impressive creatures — 



the Kodiak bear, gray wolf,, and Kenai moose. 

 A Bureau circular, essentially a checklist of the 

 State's mammal fauna as now understood, with 

 brief notes on habitat, status, and taxonomy, has 

 been prepared. Probably its most useful feature 

 is a group of 62 maps outlining the latest infor- 

 mation on mammal distribution. 



Sea otter studies in Alaska. — Most of 1964 was 

 devoted to an analysis of field data gathered since 

 1955, and preparation of a manuscript for publi- 



Distinction between closely related birds or mammals is possible only through precise comparison of skeletal or otier 

 characteristics, often .supplemented with statistical analyses. Bats (left) can he identified from prei>ared skeletal 

 material, and hybridism and intergradation in related birds (right) can be determined from careful comparison 

 of representative groups of specimens. (Photos by Rex G. Schmidt) 



