This lone grizzly cub is waiting on the banks of the McNeil River in Alaska. The cub, an only child, is waiting for its mother to catch its meal for the day. For their first year, grizzly bear cubs will not fish or catch any meat for themselves. They will be totally dependent on their mother for food, protection, and companionship.
Although bear cubs are often born in a litter of two to four cubs, this is a lone grizzly cub. He will spend all of his time with his mother for several years, until she is ready to mate again. When a mama bear is pregnant with new cubs, she will emit pheromones which drive off her old cubs. When this happens, the cubs are forced to head out into the wilderness to find a territory of their own.
This lone grizzly cub may have some trouble with that when the time comes, since he does not have any siblings to practice fighting with. If he cannot fight off other bears, he will be driven to poor territory. For now though, he has mom to protect him
Stock Image #20080817-142036B