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Alaskan Brown Bear Photos

Heavyweight Division
Photograph by Ian Gill
Every summer on the McNeil River in coastal Alaska bears and salmon engage in a key ecological interaction. As the salmon return to their home streams to spawn, bears gather on the banks of those same streams to feed on the salmon. This interaction has long-term consequences for the survival of both populations, and NGS/Waitt Grantee Ian Gill was there to investigate.
Pictured: Two young adult brown bears engage in a play bout one evening with the Aleutian Mountains in the background.
Favorite Falls
Photograph by Ian Gill
Salmon are an energy-rich food source, vital to the overwinter survival and reproduction of bears. At the same time, predation by bears exerts an important influence on the survival and evolution of the salmon populations. Additionally, a wide range of plant and animal species in the surrounding landscape benefit from this interaction by consuming and absorbing nutrients from the wastes and partially eaten salmon carcasses left behind.
Pictured: Forty-four brown bears gather at McNeil Falls on July 16, 2010. During our observations we saw up to 74 brown bears gathered here at once.
Time for a Nap?
Photograph by Ian Gill
The ecological importance of this interaction has gained increasing attention in recent years, but researchers have had only limited opportunities to rigorously observe bears foraging for salmon. As a result, relatively little is known about the factors that influence bear foraging success.
Pictured: A young adult brown bear rests after eating a chum salmon it caught at McNeil Falls.
Ears in the Back
Photograph by Ian Gill
Research assistant Melissa Pingree counts bears at McNeil Falls while a large adult male brown bear (#416, nicknamed Ears) passes behind her.
Signs of a Prowler
Photograph by Ian Gill
Gill aims to fill in that gap in our understanding by answering two key questions: Do some bears forage for salmon more efficiently than others, and what are the key factors that affect bear foraging success?
Pictured: A bear paw print in the mud is exposed at low tide in McNeil Lagoon, facing north, with Chenik Mountain in the distance.
Observing Otto
Photograph by Ian Gill
A large adult male brown bear (#413, nicknamed Otto), passes behind the observation pad at McNeil Falls. His torn lower lip serves as one of his identifying marks.
Close Enough
Photograph by Ian Gill
Research assistant Larry Aumiller counts bears at McNeil Falls while Otto sits nearby. Because human activity is carefully managed there, bears at McNeil River are comfortable with a neutral human presence.
Fishing Techniques
Photograph by Ian Gill
Nine adult brown bears fish at the height of McNeil River's chum salmon run. Bears tend to prefer locations where they can use their preferred fishing technique.
Dinner!
Photograph by Ian Gill
Gill's project is laying the groundwork for future studies of bear foraging behavior, shedding light on the influence of social dominance on foraging success and the abilities of individual bears to learn unique foraging techniques.
Pictured: 'Ears' strips the skin from a chum salmon caught at McNeil Falls.

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