Alaskan Brown Bears are an icon of Katmai National Park and Preserve in Southern Alaska. Located on a peninsula. The national park is also home to a large sockeye salmon spawning migration that begins in June and finishes in October. Separated by millions of years of evolution, the bears and salmon are connected for these few months every year.

While bears live mostly solitary lives, they will congregate at their favorite fishing spots, waiting for the return of hundreds of thousands of salmon.

It can’t be understated how vital the salmon are for the surrounding ecosystem. Many other species take full advantage of the bears discarded salmon remains. Finally, the salmon carcasses decompose into a rich fertilizer, supplying essential nutrients for the trees. For the bears in Katmai National Park, feeding on salmon becomes an integral component of their lives from their first year.

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salmon are the lifeblood of alaskan rivers, nourishing people, wildlife, and the ecosystem


 
 

cubs




An Alaskan Brown Bear's life begins when a mother bear gives birth during hibernation while she’s still asleep. Over the next few months, the newborn cubs will nurse and gain weight until finally emerging from the den in May.


Cubs will stay with their mother for two to three years, learning by trial and error and observing their mother. Unfortunately, one-third of cubs won’t live to see a second summer.


juveniles




The cubs that survive to their second year begin to learn how to hunt for salmon independently and are now called yearlings. During this time, their bond with their mother remains strong, and they will frequently hunt for salmon together.

Once the mother bear severs the family knot and leaves the yearlings on their own, it’s normal for yearlings with siblings to travel, feed, and even den together for their first year alone. Most often, they will separate the following spring.


adults


Once on their own, their learned fishing techniques are put to the test. Most bears will continue to use whatever strategy they learned from their mother. In contrast, others will expand and try many new techniques. A few of these techniques involve sitting and waiting, dashing and grabbing, snorkeling, pirating, and less frequently begging other bears for their catch.


Since bears are mostly solitary, they only have to worry about themselves for bulking up for hibernation, starting at the end of the salmon run in October. For a mother bear (sow), she must put on weight for herself and catch enough salmon for each of her cubs/yearlings.


Sows


Raising cubs is the biggest challenge a female bear will face throughout her life. Keeping their young fed, safe from predators and the elements, while preparing them for life alone, is a full-time job.


An adult female will reproduce every 3-4 years. This gives her a little break between litters. With each set of offspring, a female bear will usually get more of her young to survive. Just as the cubs learn from their mother, she will learn from her own mistakes.