Present-Day Assemblage of Birds and Mammals in the Islands of Four Mountains, Eastern Aleutians, Alaska

Abstract

AbstractWe compiled present-day observations and survey data of the avian and mammal fauna in the Islands of Four Mountains, Alaska, which primarily consist of marine-adapted species, to provide insight into the prehistoric fauna found in the archaeological record. We documented 63 bird species, mainly seabirds (67%). The majority (71%) of the estimated number of breeding birds are ledge nesters, predominately murres, and most (68%) spend the majority of their lives in the offshore environment. We lack good estimates for burrow and crevice nesters, which were impacted by and are still recovering from a period of arctic fox farming in the twentieth century. Marine mammals, predominately Steller sea lion, harbor seal, and sea otter, primarily use accessible land as haul-outs and are found in low numbers compared with the rest of the Aleutians. Red fox, the only land mammal, presently only reside on Chuginadak Island. While the present-day fauna is similar to the fauna recorded in the archaeological record, we found no indication of nesting by ancient murrelets and northern fulmars in the Island of Four Mountains, whereas both species were present in midden sites on Carlisle and Chuginadak Islands, with the possibility of prehistoric breeding colonies on Carlisle Island.