Kermode bear (Ursus americanus kermodei, black phase) with foot on piece of salmon, Gribbell Island, British Columbia. Happy New Year to all my SmugMug friends!
The Kermode bear (Ursus americanus kermodei) is the largest of the black bear subspecies. It occurs in two phases, a white phase (the famous spirit bear) and a black phase seen here. The colour phases are governed by a recessive gene and up to 25% of a the populations can be white on Gribbell Island and Princess Royal Island, which are the main locations of this rare bear. The black phase is distinguished by their large size and the lighter brown nose. This bear is bulking up for hibernation by catching and scavenging large numbers of spawning salmon from Riorden Creek, Gribbell Island, British Columbia.
