Taken by Surprise

A school of vibrant sockeye salmon nonchalantly swam past these two brown bears as they wrestled in Brooks River. Play fighting is crucial to survival and it allows these powerful animals to prepare for skirmishes that could very easily mean life or death. Some scientists have determined that bears are highly intelligent and likely capable of complex emotions so it is no surprise that they take great joy in brawling and spend any time they don't allocate to hunting or sleeping to throw a side eye to their playmate before shoving them into the water. Judging by the facial expression of this sow, she wasn't exactly ready to receive a bite on the chest and is riled up enough to deliver the next blow.