Kodiak and the Alaska Peninsula are famous for their brown bear populations. Further inland, many Alaskans refer to these bears as grizzlies. There are some size and color distinctions but no clear dividing line between populations. Southcentral Alaska coastal brown bears scrapping over fish. Photo by David M. Johnson Moose in parts of Southcentral are currently among the most numerous in Alaska, especially in the Matanuska and Susitna valleys.
Good populations exist in suitable habitat throughout the region.
There are good numbers of caribou in parts of the region, although access is not always easy. Regulations limit the harvest of the most easily accessible population to Alaska residents. Dall sheep are found in the drier mountains in the region, and mountain goats nearer the coast, although there is some overlap. Black bears are not as numerous as in Southeast, but they are widespread. Wolf and wolverine are present.