Wildlife officials have captured footage of a rare standoff between a brown bear and a black one in Alaska's Tongass National Forest.
In the clip, the black bear's cub can be seen hiding up a tall tree while its mother stalks around the tree's base, glaring at an approaching brown bear. "Momma bear stare down!" the U.S. Forest Service—Tongass National Forest said in a Facebook post on July 31.
The footage was taken at Anan Creek in Southeast Alaska, 30 miles southeast of the town of Wrangell. "Anan is one of the only bear viewing sites in the world that has both brown and black bears," the Forest Service said. "Which leads to encounters like this where a black bear made a brown bear exit the area to protect her cub hiding up a tree."
It is rare to find black and brown bears coexisting in such a relatively small area. Usually, there is just too much competition for relatively sparse food sources, but not here. Anan Creek has one of the largest runs of pink salmon in Southeast Alaska, providing a bounty of food for both species. "Such an ample food source keeps most interactions between the different species non-violent," the Forest Service said.
Brown and black bears are closely related species, but there are some distinctive differences. Brown bears can be distinguished by their humped backs; longer, curved claws; and steeper snout bridge. They are also slightly larger: On all fours, a brown bear tends to be 3 to 5 feet tall at shoulder level, while black bears rarely grow to above 3.5 feet, the National Park Service estimates.
Black bears tend to have more prominent ears, and their shorter claws allow them to be more efficient climbers (although brown bears can still climb trees).
Knowing the differences between these species is important if you ever find yourself coming face-to-face with a bear. The National Park Service says the best thing to do when facing an attack by a brown bear is to play dead: Lie flat on your stomach with your hands clasped behind your head. Only if the bear continues to attack should you attempt to fight it back.
Black bears are the opposite: You should never play dead around a black bear. Your first move is to try to escape, but if that is not possible you should fight back by targeting the animal's face and muzzle.
However, it is important to remember that attacks from these animals are extremely rare. Even so, appreciation of these animals is best done at a distance.
