A wildlife photographer in Alaska filmed two huge male grizzlies in what he said was “the longest, most intense bear interaction I’ve ever seen.”
May 8, Brad Joseph (opens in a new tab) was visiting Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in southern Alaska when he caught the two grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) compete in a show of dominance during mating season, according to Outdoor magazine (opens in a new tab). Nor was the fight between equals; one male was larger and older while the other was smaller and younger, according to PetaPixel (opens in a new tab).
Josephs uploaded the video to his Youtube channel (opens in a new tab)where it has already received over 252,000 views.
“It just kept coming and going,” Josephs told Outside magazine. “I was amazed at the determination and stamina of the two bears as they battled for dominance rights during the mating season.”
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The heart-pounding video, which is almost nine minutes long, begins with the two men landing on all fours before standing on their hind legs and fighting. At one point, the bears can be seen catching their breath before entering the second round.
On average, grizzly bears stand 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 meters) high at the shoulder when on all fours, but can reach a height of nearly 9 feet (2.7 m) on its hind legs back. Male grizzly bears can weigh up to 860 pounds (390 kilograms).
According to North American Bear Center (opens in a new tab).
At the end of the video, one of the bears admits defeat and steps back, nodding his head in submission.
“He’s got his head down, he’s basically saying, ‘I’m sorry, I lost,'” Josephs said in the clip. “And the winner leaves.”
Alaska has the highest grizzly bear population of any state or province. According to PetaPixel, of the 60,000 wild grizzlies distributed across North America, about 30,000 are found in Alaska.