Brown Bears (Info, Pics and Videos)

[Tshokwane]

Credits to Drew Hamilton.

Two large male bears fight at Mikfik Creek in the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, AK. 

I believe this fight is related to the bears' rank. These are two mature, high ranking, bears. The darker of the two bears is the bigger of the two. Rank is important in the bear world because it can allow access food resources and mates. 

While fights do occur, most of the time conflicts are resolved through posturing (as you see at the end of the video) and don't come to blows. 

What I find fascinating about this fight video is the behavior of the darker bear after the fight. He was the bear that attacked but he goes into a submissive posture at the end of the bout. As the blonde bear walks off he starts posturing again. I have no explanation but it is sure interesting to watch. 

The McNeil River hosts one of the largest seasonal concentrations of brown bears in the world. Bears fish for chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) as the fish are forced to pause their upstream migration due to the falls. 

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