An Alaskan wildlife guide captured two huge male brown bears in a fight over “mating season domain rights.”
Two male brown bears stand on their hind legs in a fight. A river and a mountain are in the background.
A wildlife photographer in Alaska captured two huge male brown bears on video in what he said was “the longest and most intense bear interaction I have ever witnessed.”
On May 8, Brad Josephs was visiting Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in southern Alaska when he caught the two grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) going head-to-head in a display of dominance during mating season, according to Outside magazine. The fight was not between equals either; one male was larger and older, while the other was smaller and younger, according to PetaPixel.
Josephs uploaded the video to his YouTube channel, where it has already received more than 252,000 views.
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“It just went on and on,” Josephs told Outside magazine. “I was amazed at the determination and stamina of both bears as they battled for mating season dominance rights.”
The heartwarming video, which runs for nearly nine minutes, begins with the two males on all fours before finally standing on their hind legs and wrestling with each other. At one point, the bears can be seen catching their breath before going into the second round.
On average, grizzly bears stand between 3 and 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 meters) tall at the shoulder when on all fours, but can reach a height of nearly 9 feet (2.7 m) on their hind legs. Male brown bears can weigh up to 860 pounds (390 kilograms).
Bear mating season typically runs from May to July and it’s not uncommon for larger males to chase away smaller males, while “peer” males will fight for dominance, as seen in this video, according to the North American Bear Center.
At the end of the video, one of the bears admits defeat and steps back, bowing its head in submission.