Max's Grand Adventure: Heading South Staying Alive Max's main concern is survival. He darts from place to place, hunting for insects. He spots a spider about three feet away, but just as he is about to nab his lunch, he catches sight of a blue blur above him. A peregrine falcon swoops down at about 90 miles an hour. Max dodges away. And just in the nick of time, too. This time, Max missed lunch, but at least he didn't become lunch. The peregrine falcon, which nests and winters in the same areas as Max's family, is very adept at catching golden-plovers. The open habitat that Max and his family use is one of the birds' main defenses against falcons and other raptors, since there are few perches from which hunting birds can search for prey. Max must stay alert to survive. But this is true of nearly all the other species that use the coastal plain. From birds to ground squirrels, caribou to grizzlies, one species is food for another, larger, faster or fiercer species. Musk-oxen graze here. Polar bears pluck fish out of the frigid Arctic waters. Wolves and arctic foxes snare ground squirrels. Grizzlies make off with young or sick caribou. Harsh or not, this is the cycle of life on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. And very soon, Max will be facing this cycle without his parents. Previous Page  |  Next Page Back to "Max's Grand Adventure" Index All About Max  |  Max's Grand Adventure From Alaska to our Backyards  |  Amazing Arctic Birds  |  Links