Adugak Island (also spelled Adougakh, possibly from ale, Adudak; (

Unangam Tunuu Aleut () or ''Unangam Tunuu'' is the language spoken by the Aleut living in the Aleutian Islands, Pribilof Islands, Commander Islands, and the Alaska Peninsula (in Aleut , the origin of the state name Alaska). Aleut is the sole language in the A ...

: ''Adugax̂'') is a small island in the Fox Islands group in the

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a cha ...

of southwestern

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

. It is about long and is located off the northwest coast of

Umnak Island Umnak ( ale, Unmax, Umnax; russian: Умнак) 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 ...

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

. 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 animals, generally gregarious birds. Coming from the nesting habits of rooks, the term is used for corvids and the breeding grounds of colony-forming seabirds, marine mammals (true seals and sea lions), and ev ...

for the endangered

Steller sea lion The Steller sea lion (''Eumetopias jubatus''), also known as the Steller's sea lion and northern sea lion, is a near-threatened species of sea lion in the northern Pacific. It is the sole member of the genus ''Eumetopias'' and the largest of t ...

, 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 Ilak Island ( ale, Iilax̂) is a small island in the eastern Delarof Islands, Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Ilak island is only across. Its highest point is . Its name was recorded by Commodore Igor, Larenz, Asim and Kevin as "Illuk," and publis ...

due to introduced predators, oil spills, and mortality from fisheries interactions. Some animals on the island were tested positive for

Polydnavirus A polydnavirus (PDV) is a member of the family (biology), family ''Polydnaviridae'' of insect viruses. There are two genera in the family: ''Bracovirus'' and ''Ichnovirus''. Polydnaviruses form a symbiotic relationship with parasitoid wasps; (i ...

, along with

Yunaska Yunaska ( ale, Yunax̂sxa; russian: Юнаска) is an uninhabited island which is the largest of the Islands of Four Mountains groupT.P. Miller, R.G. McGimsey, D.H. Richter, J.R. Riehle, C.J. Nye, M.E. Yount, and J.A. Dumoulin,1998. Catalog of ...

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