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.
