Fish and Bear Claw

North America Nature Photography Association (NANPA) Top 10

NANPA Expressions Magazine Cover (“First ever photo that received full score from all the judges in the contest history” according to the chief editor, NANPA)

The old Chinese saying, “Fish and bear claw, one cannot get both” (魚與熊掌不可兼得) corresponds to the old English phrase “You can’t have your cake and eat it too”. High-speed photography illustrates that you can have both.

In this case, as the bear sprinted in the water chasing a particular salmon, its powerful movement startled another salmon, which then popped above the water’s surface and exposed itself to the hunter and hunt in progress. The brown bear immediately caught sight of this new impressive fish and diverted his attention from first one to the second. At three feet long, this fifteen-pound salmon was a tastier prospect for the hungry bear. The bear immediately changed direction, and leapt four feet into the air, descending abruptly upon the healthy fish. The brown bear’s own magnificent presence made the huge salmon appear tiny. I was left wondering why the fish surfaced in the first place. It undoubtedly faced an untimely death, while its size showed the ability it had mastered to survive.

Coastal Brown Bear, Katmai National Park, Alaska, 2012

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 500mm F/4, f/5.6, 1/1600s, ISO 800, RRS tripod