Brown bear on rock in a river

This large bear cub stands on a rock in the middle of a river in Haines, Alaska. A large seagull fishes in the background.

The bear pictured is a large spring cub, almost at the end of its first summer. The bear cannot yet fish for itself, so the bear on a rock stands watching its mother fish. The mama bear will procure fish to feed herself, as well as to help feed the cub.

Grizzlies can consume dozens of pounds of salmon a day as they bulk up to survive the winter. Bears enter hibernation through the winter months, sleeping almost all of the time and surviving in a reduced metabolic state.

Stock Image #20100923-125520A