World's Deadliest: Grizzly Bear Attacks Prey
Grizzly bears can and will eat just about anything. And that means running down whatever they can catch, from elk calves and salmon to baby bison.
Transcript
Late spring in Yellowstone Park.
For elk, its calving time.
Newborn calves follow their mothers around intently, learning what they need to know to survive.
For grizzly bears, the elk calving time is dinner time.
And the sight of a vulnerable young calf is hard to resist.
When she gets lucky and close enough to a calf, she can take off in a quick burst and chase it down.
Grizzly bears can and will eat just about anything.
Most of their diet isn't even meat.
They've developed grinding teeth in the back to chew tough plants.
Long claws to dig up insects, and roots, and even shellfish.
A grizzly is on the prowl constantly, searching for any food.
Digging, grazing, scavenging.
A strong stomach is just part of what makes this bear an apex predator.
Size is a factor. This grizzly is almost 1,000 pounds.
And where fish is plentiful, its cousins grow even larger.
When the salmon return to spawn, they fill the rivers and provide a fat, rich bounty for bears.
Young and old, they all gather to fish.
The biggest claiming the best spots, and using their bulk and mean tempers to take what they don't catch.
Farther inland, the bear has to develop other hunting strategies.
Today, bison could be on the menu.
They're twice the size of an average bear. No easy takedown.
But where there are bison, there are bison babies.
The key is to separate the calf from its mother.
