Alaska bear photos
Alaska’s Bears
Alaska is unique in that it is home to all three species of bears: brown & grizzly bear (same species), black bear, and polar bear. Polar bears inhabit the northern Arctic shores and the offshore icepack. Grizzly bears are common to the Interior and Arctic regions and feed primarily on vegetation. Brown bears, although the same species, grow much larger due to the protein-rich diet of salmon found in Alaska’s coastal areas. Black bears, the smallest of the three species, inhabit forested and coastal regions.
All of the Alaska bear photos you see here are available to license as stock photos for commercial use or purchase as fine art prints for home or office.
Alaska bear photo search
- Grizzly bear photos (Ursus arctos)
- Brown bear photos (Ursus arctos)
- Polar bear photos (Ursus maritimus)
- Black bear photos (Ursus americanus)
A healthy respect for bears
Bears are the most formidable land mammals. The utmost respect for their wildness is essential. Like all mammals, bears communicate with each other. It is wise to learn their language of body posture and behavior. The National Park service offers instruction on how to act in bear country through video kiosks at Park Headquarters. For some places, like Brooks Falls in Katmai, participation in bear viewing protocol and behaviors is required.
Taking your own Alaska bear photos
If you’re a photographer seeking to capture Alaska’s bears, you’re in for a thrilling experience. With preparation and respect for safety protocols, it’s possible to photograph bears in many parts of Alaska. I’ve photographed all three species, focusing primarily on brown bears and polar bears. Brown bears, especially those in coastal areas, are more accessible due to their large congregations during salmon runs. Locations like Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park or the McNeil River Sanctuary offer exceptional bear-viewing opportunities..
Photographing polar bears, however, can be more challenging due to their remote Arctic habitats. A few Inupiat native villages along the Arctic coast, like Kaktovik, provide an access point for polar bear photography.
A few notable bear-viewing locations include:
Brooks Falls, Katmai National Park (Brown bears) Southwest Alaska
McNeil River Sanctuary (Brown bears) Southwest
Denali National Park (Grizzly bears) Interior Alaska
Annan Creek (Black bears) Southeast Alaska
Brown bears (Ursus arctos)
Brown and grizzly bears belong to the same species (Ursus arctos), but Kodiak bears are classified as a distinct subspecies (Ursus arctos middendorffi). Coastal brown bears are larger due to their salmon-rich diet, while grizzly bears in the Interior and Arctic rely more on vegetation.
General Description
Brown bears appear in many color variations ranging from light brown or blonde to dark brown or almost black. The tips of the longer guard hairs may often be lighter. Physical characteristics that distinguish brown bears from black bears include a pronounced shoulder hump, smaller ears, and longer, straighter claws. Their fur color ranges from light brown to almost black.
Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus)
General Description
Polar bears are native to Alaska’s Arctic coast and ice pack. They roam the ice pack during the dark winter hunting for food. Their fur, and thick fat (up to four inches on the rump) provide insulation from the severe cold. Their white or cream-colored fur camouflages it from its prey. The bear’s short tail and small ears help reduce heat loss, and the narrow head and long, tapered body streamline it for swimming.
The polar bear has adapted live on land and the ocean and is considered a semi-aquatic marine mammal. Polar bears depend mainly upon fat-rich seals for food, which it hunts from the pack ice. It has uniquely adapted to sea, land, and ice life.
Climate Change
Scientists now believe that the projected decreases in the polar sea ice due to a warming climate will have a significant negative impact or even lead to the extinction of this species within this century. The population of just between 20,000-25,000 polar bears has been shrinking. While there are some 18 distinct polar bear populations, Alaska’s southern Beaufort Sea population plummeted from 1500 animals in 2001 to 900 in 2010 (Ecological Applications Journal).
The United States Geological Survey estimates that the polar bear population will shrink to 1/3 of its size by 2050. These population reductions are mainly due to melting sea ice, limiting access to the polar bear’s primary food source.
American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
General Description
Black bears occur over most of the forested areas of Alaska, except in some places in the southeast where islands are inhabited only by brown bears. Black bears are often associated with forests but may be found from sea level to higher alpine areas. They hibernate during winter and may build dens in tree cavities, caves, and shallow depressions.
Black bears are the smallest of the North American bears, and males are more significant than females. Black bears are opportunistic eaters, but most of their diet consists of plants, berries, and insects, in addition to mammals, carrion, and fish. They have many different color phases ranging from black, brown, cinnamon, blue-black, and sometimes near white, although rare.