Grizzly bear diet – Grizzly Bear Blog (original) (raw)
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Grizzlies Fishing
Posted in Grizzly bear diet with tags Alaska, animals, bears, brown bears, grizzly bears, wildlife on July 8, 2011 by grizzlybearblog
A young grizzly bear runs after salmon in Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park.
Grizzly Bear with Salmon
Posted in Grizzly bear diet, Grizzly Bears Fishing with tags Alaska, animals, bears, brown bears, grizzly bear, wildlife on July 5, 2011 by grizzlybearblog
A female grizzly bear pins a salmon to the ground under her paw.
Mother and Cub Eat Salmon
Posted in Grizzly Bear Cubs, Grizzly bear diet with tags Alaska, animals, bears, grizzlies, grizzly bears, wildlife on June 21, 2011 by grizzlybearblog
A mother grizzly bear shares half of the salmon she just caught with her third year cub who is learning to fish. After every catch, the mother grizzly bear would tear the fish in half and share with her youngster. Read more about this grizzly bear mother by clicking here.
Grizzly Bear with Salmon
Posted in Grizzly bear diet with tags Alaska, animals, bears, grizzly, grizzly bear, wildlife on June 12, 2011 by grizzlybearblog
A large male grizzly bear walks off of Brooks Falls after catching a salmon in mid-air. Often, grizzly bears will leave the falls once they catch a fish, opening up a spot for the next bear “in line”. Eating the salmon in private on the shore helps keep the catch safe from grizzly bears who steal fish from other bears as their hunting strategy.
Grizzly Bear Diet – Salmon
Posted in Grizzly bear diet with tags Alaska, bears, grizzly bears, nature, salmon, wildlife on June 11, 2011 by grizzlybearblog
A grizzly bear chomps on fresh sockeye salmon at the base of Brooks Falls in Katmai N. Park. Grizzly bears employ a variety of techniques around the falls to catch salmon. This grizzly was hanging out at the bottom of the falls in what we call the “jacuzzi” – a swirling tub of water where the waterfall pounds downstream. Some bears sit there hoping a salmon will get trapped in the bubbles. The grizzly bears wait in the jacuzzi with their arms under the water hoping that a disoriented salmon bumps into their front paws. Then its time to eat.
When salmon is very abundant the skilled grizzly bears who catch lots of salmon will start only eating the fattiest parts of the fish – the brains, eyes, and skin. They then drop the discarded salmon into the water where it is swept downstream to be eaten by smaller or less experienced bears, gulls, foxes, eagles and other scavenging animals. When the salmon run is strong in July the air above the falls is filled with packs of screaming gulls and the more shy bald eagles wait patiently in the trees.
Posted in Grizzly bear diet on March 7, 2011 by grizzlybearblog
Here we are sitting in the grass with a female grizzly who is grazing on high protein sedge grass in June. The tall stalks between her and the camera are another variety of inedible grass that grows thick near the beach and in patches in the sedge meadows.
White Grizzly Bear Eating Sedge Grass
Posted in Grizzly bear diet with tags Alaska, animals, bears, grizzly bear, nature, wildlife on November 8, 2010 by grizzlybearblog
An important part of a grizzly bear’s diet is high protein sedge grass. This grass grows in coastal meadows that are flooded with salt water every high tide. The grass is often submerged in swampy water, the tips iced with dried salt. Grizzly bears eat the grass in spring and early summer. Once it goes to seed in mid – late summer, the grizzlies move on to other food sources like salmon.
Grizzly Bear Skinning a Salmon
Posted in Alaska, Grizzly bear diet, Grizzly Bears Fishing, Uncategorized with tags Alaska, animals, brown bears, grizzly bears, nature, salmon, salmon fishing on August 19, 2010 by grizzlybearblog
This grizzly bear is eating the skin of a freshly caught sockeye salmon at Brooks Falls in Alaska. Bears rip off the skin with such ease it looks like they are peeling back saran wrap. Eating the skin first is common because the skin is full of fat and nutrients. Fish skin is one of the principle ways that animals like grizzly bears obtain Vitamin D.
Bears will often eat parts of the fish with the most calories first in case they aren’t able to finish eating the whole fish. Some bears are fish thieves, so quickly eating the most nutritious parts is wise. In some areas like Brooks Falls where the fish may be over abundant in July, some bears will only eat the skin and brains of the fish. They drop the rest of the fish back into the water. Less experienced bears as well as ravens, foxes and gulls may then feast off the scraps.
Grizzly Bear Fishing in Brooks Falls, Alaska
Posted in Alaska, Grizzly bear diet, Grizzly Bears Fishing with tags Alaska, animals, bears, brown bears, grizzly bears, Katmai National Park, nature, salmon on August 18, 2010 by grizzlybearblog
Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park Alaska is the best place in the world to see grizzly bears fishing for salmon. A huge sockeye salmon run occurs each July, and all the grizzlies in the area know it. They congregate around the waterfall, where the salmon bunch up in an attempt to leap upstream over the falls. Some bears like the one pictured above wait for salmon to leap out of the water at the top of the falls. Other bears employee different techniques like sitting in a jacuzzi like whirl pool of water at the base of the falls. In the “jacuzzi” bears will catch salmon under the water using their paws. The salmon becomes disoriented in the whirl pool, and often end up in the mouths of bears. Less experienced grizzly bears will feed off the scraps that drift down stream.