Photographer Records Fierce Bear Fight from Just Feet Away

Brown bears are known to duke it out on occasion, but it’s rare that nature photographers get as up close and personal as Tero Pylkkänen did recently in his 3-minute video Best Bear Fight Ever.

Pylkkänen told PetaPixel that the initial bear appeared after about an hour of being in the Finnish hide. Pacing about the forest, a second bear then reared its head. After two hours, and about four hours into being in the hide, the brawl began.

Crossing the dappled light of the thick forest floor, the two bears begin to size each other up, letting out a series of menacing growls and roars. They then unleash upon one another, exchanging violent blows until the slightly larger bear begins to dominate and the fight calms down.

“I was in the bear hide with my family and these two bear were following each maybe a couple of hours, and then luckily they took action in front of our hide,” Pylkkänen said.

Nature TTL Hub: Find bears in Finland

Brown bears such as these are the most widely distributed bear in the world, found across northern North America, Europe, and Asia. Although solitary animals, they are not territorial. Occasionally they congregate in large numbers when attracted to significant food sources, such as salmon. As a result, a dominance hierarchy is established through aggression. Fights such as this one then typically occur over food sources, and occasionally over females during mating season.

For more, visit Pylkkänen’s YouTube channel, and Instagram. Be sure to also check out Kyle Moore and Harry Read’s amazing photo series of photographing bears in Finland.