Take a walk on the wild side to look for more than 400 mammal species and prolific bird and marine life. THE BEAR NECESSITY Bears can be found across the U.S.. Black bears reside in 150 national parks and are common throughout the Pacific Northwest’s forests and mountains and in Alaska, the Rocky Mountains, some southern states and the Appalachians. Grizzly (or brown) bears can be seen in western national parks such as Yellowstone and Denali. GET THE HUMP Watch humpback whales frolic in the Pacific waves off the Hawaiian islands, Alaska and on whale-watching tours in California and Oregon as they migrate to and from their breeding grounds in Mexico. Orcas and minke whales are commonly seen off Washington’s San Juan Island. On the east Coast, humpbacks are the stars on tours off the waters of Maine, Cape Cod, New Jersey, Long Island and Virginia. THERE’S A MOOSE LOOSE Maine's estimated 75,000 moose are most populous in areas such as the Maine Highlands, the Kennebec Valley and Western Lakes and Mountains. A popular place to spot them is Acadia National Park. Other national parks with big moose populations include Grand Teton, Glacier Bay, Rocky Mountain, Denali and Voyageurs. GO BATTY From late March until early autumn, huge numbers of Mexican free-tailed bats take up residence underneath Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas. Crowds gather on the bridge just before sunset, when as many as 1.5 million of the tiny bats start flying out in huge clouds to hunt insects. You can also see them on a narrated boat tour. SEAL CRAZY California is known for its sea otters and sea lions, but at Piedras Blancas near San Simeon, the beaches and rocky coastline heave with elephant seals. Around 7,000 of the mammals are resident there, hauling up onto the beaches to breed, moult, pup or simply laze. A free viewing area just off the The Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve attracts more than 4,000 of America’s national birds between October and November CLOSE CALLS From bear and whale watching to swimming with manatees or seeing lumbering elephant seals at close quarters, the U.S. offers amazing wildlife experiences WILDLIFE HAWAII TOURISM AUTHORITY/JOE WEST 44 visitusa.org.uk
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NjAzNTM3