Brown Bear Running in River Throwing Spray, Katmai
Katmai National Park and Preserve
A brown bear sprints through shallow river water, kicking up a wall of spray around its feet and chest as it runs. Bears on the salmon runs in Katmai switch between long patient stalks and explosive sprints when a fish comes within range. Once they commit to a chase the commitment is total. The salmon runs are only really productive for a few short windows a year, so the bears burn hard during them and then spend the rest of the season resting, feeding on sedges, and bulking up for winter. Brown bear fishing, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Ursus arctos. Photo © copyright by Carl Donohue.