Adugak Island (Alaska)
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Adugak Island (also spelled Adougakh, possibly from ; ( Unangam Tunuu: ''Adugax̂'') is a small island in the Fox Islands group in the
Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before Alaska Purchase, 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain ...
of southwestern
Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
. It is about long and is located off the northwest coast of
Umnak Island Umnak (; ) is one of the Fox Islands of the Aleutian Islands. With of land area, it is the third largest island in the Aleutian archipelago and the 19th largest island in the United States. The island is home to a large volcanic caldera on Moun ...
.


Name

The name was recorded in 1840 by Ivan Veniaminov. It may arise from the word "Adudak", which means "somewhat long".


Geography

The island about long and is located off the northwest coast of
Umnak Island Umnak (; ) is one of the Fox Islands of the Aleutian Islands. With of land area, it is the third largest island in the Aleutian archipelago and the 19th largest island in the United States. The island is home to a large volcanic caldera on Moun ...
. It reaches an elevation of about above sea level and the area around the island is extremely hazardous to ships because of the numerous rocks that lie just below the surface of the water.


Wildlife

The island has been protected as a
rookery A rookery is a colony of breeding rooks, and more broadly a colony of several types of breeding animals, generally gregarious birds. Coming from the nesting habits of rooks, the term is used for corvids and the breeding grounds of colony-fo ...
for the endangered
Steller sea lion The Steller sea lion (''Eumetopias jubatus''), also known as Steller's sea lion or the northern sea lion, is a large, near-threatened species of sea lion, predominantly found in the coastal marine habitats of the northeast Pacific Ocean and th ...
, which has been observed during the winter feeding on the fish that inhabit the water nearby.
Cassin's auklet Cassin's auklet (''Ptychoramphus aleuticus'') is a small, chunky seabird that ranges widely in the North Pacific. It is the only species placed in the genus ''Ptychoramphus''. It nests in small burrows and because of its presence on well studied ...
once lived in the area, but disappeared. They also disappeared from other Aleutian islands such as Keegaloo, and Ilak Island due to introduced predators, oil spills, and mortality from fisheries interactions. Some animals on the island were tested positive for
Polydnavirus ''Polydnaviriformidae'' ( PDV) is a family of insect viriforms; members are known as polydnaviruses. There are two genera in the family: '' Bracoform'' and '' Ichnoviriform''. Polydnaviruses form a symbiotic relationship with parasitoid wasps. ...
, along with Yunaska.


References

Fox Islands (Alaska) Islands of Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska Islands of Alaska Islands of Unorganized Borough, Alaska Uninhabited islands of Alaska {{authority control