The first year of life is tough on grizzly bear cubs. Half of all cubs die in their first year of life. The summer of 2008 we witnessed a huge boom in cub births. We spotted over 24 first year cubs in one bay in Katmai National Park. Sadly, we spotted no second year cubs in the same bay the following summer. Mother bears may have relocated to other areas with their cubs, but we assumed many of the cubs must have died.
Archive for January, 2011
Grizzly Bear Cub
Posted in Grizzly Bear Cubs with tags Alaska, animals, bear cub, bears, grizzly bears, nature, wildlife on January 30, 2011 by grizzlybearblogGrizzly Bear Cubs
Posted in Grizzly Bear Cubs with tags Alaska, animals, baby animals, bear cubs, bears, grizzly bears, nature on January 26, 2011 by grizzlybearblog
Two grizzly bear cubs in their very first summer relax near a group of bear viewing tourists. The cub on the left is a female, the one on the right a male. The white chevron around a bear cub’s neck is pretty common, and also aids in identification. For example, the boy bear has a much more pronounced white chevron than his sister. Grizzly bears lose the white chevron when they get older.
Katmai National Park Coastline
Posted in Alaska with tags Alaska, National Parks on January 18, 2011 by grizzlybearblog
An aerial photo taken just North of Katmai National Park. Most photos on this website were taken in Katmai, which has one of the largest concentrations of grizzly bears in the world.
Grizzly Bear Opens a Clam
Posted in Grizzly Bears Clamming with tags Alaska, animals, bears, grizzly bears, nature on January 13, 2011 by grizzlybearblog
This grizzly bear female is delicately prying open a clam using her nails. Grizzly bears have different techniques for opening clam shells. Some crush the entire clam in their mouths, then spit out the shells (which reminds me of how humans eat sunflower seeds with the shell on). Other bears eat the whole clam shell. Others will twist apart the top shell from the bottom shell using the palm of their front paw.
Grizzly Bear Nursing her Cubs
Posted in Grizzly Bear Cubs with tags Alaska, animals, bears, nature, wildlife on January 12, 2011 by grizzlybearblog
Grizzly bear mothers most often nurse their cubs lying down on their backs. A grizzly bear mother will usually keep her head lifted to scan the scene for any potential dangers. I took this photo sitting nearby in the grass. The grizzly bear mother was perfectly comfortable with us nearby since she has learned that humans do not hunt grizzlies in this area (Katmai National Park where hunting is prohibited). In fact many grizzly bear mothers in Katmai feel more comfortable close to humans. They have learned that some grizzly bear males (who could harm cubs) will be hesitant to approach human bear viewers. This is an example of grizzly bears’ sophisticated social intelligence.
Grizzly Bear Tongue
Posted in Grizzly Bear Cubs, Grizzly Bear Physiology with tags Alaska, animals, bears, grizzlies, grizzly bears, nature, wildlife on January 9, 2011 by grizzlybearblog
A first year grizzly bear cub sticks her tongue out.
Mating Grizzly Bears Cuddling
Posted in Grizzly Bear Social Behavior, Grizzly Bears Mating with tags Alaska, animals, bears, grizzly bear, Katmai, nature on January 5, 2011 by grizzlybearblog
A male and female grizzly bear cuddle during mating season. These bears were paling around together for the afternoon, cuddling, grazing and walking together.
Old Grizzly Bear Male
Posted in Male grizzlies with tags Alaska, animals, bears, grizzly bears, wildlife on January 4, 2011 by grizzlybearblog
This very old grizzly bear had a snaggle tooth, most likely the result of a fight that busted his jaw. I’ve witnessed at least two other old male grizzlies with clear signs of injury to their jaws that resulted in a tooth sticking outside of their mouths. You can also see considerable scarring around this bear’s neck.
Despite his age, this grizzly bear was fishing vigorously for salmon at the mouth of a river.
