Bears

Meeting The Family

Waiting For Lunch

Alaska Brown Bear watching over the Silver Salmon Creek, waiting for a sign of salmon to feed her and her cubs that are impatiently waiting behind her. The Alaska Peninsula brown bear (Ursus arctos gyas) is a subspecies of brown bear that lives in the coastal regions of southern Alaska. Generally speaking there are two types of brown bears classifications in North America, the coastal brown bear and the inland grizzly bear; these two types broadly define the range of sizes of all brown bear subspecies. These subspecies are defined mostly by habit and isolation which causes subtle differences in the bears appearance Alaska Peninsula brown bears are a very large brown bear subspecies, usually ranging in weight from 800 to 1,200 pounds (363 to 544 kg).They are found in high densities along the southern Alaskan coast due not only to the large amount of clams and sedge grass but also to the annual salmon runs; this allows them to attain huge sizes, some of the biggest in the world.

Hugs

Pilgrim Meadow

This Grizzly is a subadult roughly 3-5 years old. It was kick out from its mother last year. Mother’s raise they coy for 2-3 years before pushing them off to live on their own. This bear is not to reproductive age just yet. We are not sure if it is a sow or boar yet, but mating will clear things up in a year or two. Grizzly bears are a class of brown bears. While there are several classifications of brown bear, they can generally be separated into inland brown bears and coastal brown bears. These 2 basic classes typically have different diets. The available food supply usually results in the bears being different sizes and even their fur to have a different appearance. Coastal bears usually have more fish and other sea creatures, while inland bears have game meat like elk. This simple dietary difference is believed to give the grizzly fur its look. One physical trait brown bears can have, that is not connected to location or diet, is a wide variation is fur color. Brown bears can be platinum blonde to nearly black. Black bears (also vary in color) are often mistaken as brown bears when they are lighter shades like blonde, brown, or even cinnamon. Brown bears have 2 easily identifiable features. The face and the hump. Usually described as a pan or dish before the snout, but if you’re still not sure the classic should hump usually settles it. Their foot prints are also greatly different, but if you are able to see the feet, you are definitely too close.

Stacked

The Queen of the Tetons, Grizzly 399. She is a 24 year old brown bear. This is her first time having 4 cubs. When they are young it is most common to have 2 cubs. As the get to their teens they often have 3 cubs, but as bears in recent years have been living longer than before we are starting to see a few litters of 4 cubs. However this many cubs is still a very rare event for brown bears. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, brown bears it is about 0.5%. Grizzly bears are a class of brown bears. While there are several classifications of brown bear, they can generally be separated into inland brown bears and coastal brown bears. These 2 basic classes typically have different diets. The available food supply usually results in the bears being different sizes and even their fur to have a different appearance. Coastal bears usually have more fish and other sea creatures, while inland bears have game meat like elk. This simple dietary difference is believed to give the grizzly fur its look. One physical trait brown bears can have, that is not connected to location or diet, is a wide variation is fur color. Brown bears can be platinum blonde to nearly black. Black bears (also vary in color) are often mistaken as brown bears when they are lighter shades like blonde, brown, or even cinnamon. Brown bears have 2 easily identifiable features. The face and the hump. Usually described as a pan or dish before the snout, but if you’re still not sure the classic should hump usually settles it. Their foot prints are also greatly different, but if you are able to see the feet, you are definitely too close.

Attention

The Queen of the Tetons, Grizzly 399. She is a 24 year old brown bear. This is her first time having 4 cubs. When they are young it is most common to have 2 cubs. As the get to their teens they often have 3 cubs, but as bears in recent years have been living longer than before we are starting to see a few litters of 4 cubs. However this many cubs is still a very rare event for brown bears. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, brown bears it is about 0.5%. Grizzly bears are a class of brown bears. While there are several classifications of brown bear, they can generally be separated into inland brown bears and coastal brown bears. These 2 basic classes typically have different diets. The available food supply usually results in the bears being different sizes and even their fur to have a different appearance. Coastal bears usually have more fish and other sea creatures, while inland bears have game meat like elk. This simple dietary difference is believed to give the grizzly fur its look. One physical trait brown bears can have, that is not connected to location or diet, is a wide variation is fur color. Brown bears can be platinum blonde to nearly black. Black bears (also vary in color) are often mistaken as brown bears when they are lighter shades like blonde, brown, or even cinnamon. Brown bears have 2 easily identifiable features. The face and the hump. Usually described as a pan or dish before the snout, but if you’re still not sure the classic should hump usually settles it. Their foot prints are also greatly different, but if you are able to see the feet, you are definitely too close.

Staredown

This Alaskan Brown Bear sow looks to be staring us down…. however she is in the middle of surveying the shallows for salmon. As the salmon run begins brown bears check the waterways daily. Brown bears have excellent hearing and sight, but their sense of smell is truly remarkable. Bears have a sense of smell 2100 times that of humans. They can smell a food from 20 miles away. This mother will care to her cubs for approximately 2 years. In the fall of their 2nd year she will kick them out. The cubs will be considered subadults until they are about 5 years of age, which is when they enter breeding age. Like the rest of North America, Brown bears (Ursus Arctos) are typically separated into 2 main types, Coastal Brown Bears (Peninsula Brown Bear in Alaska) and Grizzly bears (or Inland Brown Bears). These are differentiated primarily by their diet which impacts their size and texture of their fur. The term “grizzly” is synonymous with brown bear and can be applied to both coastal and inland brown bears. Alaska is also home to the Kodiak sub class which are found on Alaska’s islands and archipelago.