Quick Take
- Bears don't just grab any salmon and devour it whole. They make a very deliberate choice about which parts to eat first, and the reason is shrewder than you'd expect. See what bears eat first →
- Katmai has dozens of rivers, yet bears converge on one specific spot every summer. The geography here works against the salmon in a way that's almost unfair. Discover the natural bottleneck →
- You can watch the entire salmon frenzy unfold right now without booking a single flight to Alaska. Watch the live webcam →
It’s that time of year again! It’s salmon season for the bears of Brooks River, and there’s no holding them back. Check out this fantastic Instagram post from National Parks to see the bears indulge at the all-you-can-eat fish buffet.
Feasting Bears at Brooks River
Brown bears thrive in Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska all year round, feeding on a mixed diet. They will happily eat plants, berries, and small mammals. These Alaskan brown bears are also skilled at fishing. As you can see in this Instagram post, salmon fishing is a specialty!
Once they get hold of the fish, they eat the most fat-rich parts first, just in case a bigger bear comes along and snatches it away from them. That’s the skin, brain, and roe. This helps to fatten them up in preparation for the winter.
Why Do Bears Feed at Brooks River?
There are plenty of rivers in Katmai, but Brooks Falls is very special. The river is a major spawning stream, and salmon travel upstream to reach their spawning grounds in the river’s smaller tributaries.
Salmon have to leap waterfalls to get to their spawning grounds.
©Danita Delimont/Shutterstock.com
Brooks River is unique because of its 6-foot-high waterfall, which creates a significant barrier for spawning salmon. The salmon gather in schools beneath the falls to rest before attempting the challenging leap. Thousands of fish make this leap—and the bears are waiting for them.
Brooks Falls Bears at the Salmon Buffet
The bears of Katmai know that late June brings a salmon buffet to their territories. They arrive at the falls in considerable numbers and use a few tactics to secure a meal. Some bears plunge into the pool beneath the waterfall, while others wait at the top. They scan the rushing water with keen eyes, ready to snatch a salmon out of the air.
The bears turn up at Brooks River in mid-late June and stay there until late October. By then, they have put on plenty of weight thanks to their salmon diet, and it is nearly time for them to hibernate.
This phenomenon has been a tourist attraction since the 1950s, but you don’t have to travel to Alaska to see it. Check out the Explore livecam from the comfort of your own home and watch the bears go fishing.
