These are photos taken in Katmai National Park in Alaska in July of 2007, when huge brown bears feast on spawning sockeye salmon.
...all the bear has to do is chomp down before the fish falls back into the water. At this moment, the poor salmon's last thought is probably something like, "Oh crap! I just fought my way up miles of rivers and lakes, and past all those fishermen's nets, and now that I'm almost home, I had to jump right HERE?!"
About to chomp down on another one.
Although some bears catch fish in the air, most are actually grabbed when they jump into the water at the bear's feet.
The next few photos are just other bears patiently waiting for dinner to "arrive."
This is a thinner, ganglier "sub-adult" male (akin to a human teenager), brashly taking advantage of the absence of big males to try his luck atop the Falls. When a big older male shows up, he will quickly depart.
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Come to papa! This fellow is waiting with open mouth for a salmon headed his way.
These two big males occupy the two "prime" spots atop the Falls, and tolerate each other's presence so close only because both spots are so productive. That salmon in his mouth is roughly two feet long and weighs about ten pounds.
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