sierraclub.org - sierra magazine - nov/dec 2012 - animal-families - animal families: bears fishing
Photography by Suzi Eszterhas | Text by Della Watson
A young coastal brown playfully tugs a fish from its mother's mouth in Alaska's Katmai National Park. In autumn the bears eat mostly salmon, along with other treats like clams, and may gain as many as 30 pounds in a day. "The fat in that salmon is going to be what keeps that baby alive through the winter when they hibernate," Eszterhas says. "They're just gorging on salmon at that point in the year."