Geographic Harbor, Katmai was an amazing place to view Brown Bears. Sitting quietly, the bears came close and were oblivious of us. Of course, our very experienced guide, Drew Hamilton, was with us at all times and controlled the encounter. Watching the mother-cub interaction was delight as was seeing the cubs playing with each other and any natural objects they could find. How anyone could contemplate hunting these truly wondrous creatures is beyond me. This abhorrent practice should stop immediately.
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.
Females are normally more than nine years old when they successfully produce their first litter. Females can produce up to six cubs but the typical litter size is two-three. Cubs are born in a den January/February emerging in May/June weighing just 7-9kg and stay with their mother for three years.
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.