This huge silvertip bear takes a brief nap in the rain. The bear is sleeping on the banks of the McNeil river in Alaska, one of the rivers which salmon migrate up every year to spawn. This so-called “salmon run” afford grizzly bears the rare opportunity to gorge themselves on an essentially unlimited food supply. This guy is probably experiencing what we would call a “food coma!”
This bear has silver-tipped fur. Bears like this are often called “silver tip bears,” and many people assume they are a unique species. Actually, silver tip bears are no different from grizzly bears. Some grizzlies develop the silver-tipped fur more prominently than others, but all the animals are genetically similar.
In fact, grizzly bears can come in a variety of colors. While we were in Katmai National Park and Preserve taking grizzly bear pictures, we saw bears in a variety of colors, including a dark brown that looked almost black, gray, and white.
Stock Image #20080814-134910