Our time by the river at Kinak, Katmai provided us with this wonderful encounter with a Brown Bear and her three gorgeous cubs of the year. The mother was an excellent provider of fish for her cubs. There were other bears in the vicinity so the mother was constant alert standing up to check all was safe. However, the other bears recognised the mother as a dominant female in the area and kept their distance. The cubs stood frequently to watch their mother fishing. The setting amidst the Fireweed with mountains as a back drop contributed to this fabulous sighting.
The Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) and the Grizzly Bear are the same species. The former term is often used to denote coastal animals whilst the latter is used to refer to inland bears.
These bears will eat a range of vegetation and once the salmon start to run they gorge themselves on this abundant food source in preparation for the winter months and hibernation.