9 days ago
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Posted On: July 16th 2026, 04:19 pm
A successful seafood outing.
When I lived in Monterey, California, I was amazed to learn that the first documented European encounter with brown bears in what is now the United States occurred just down the street from my apartment, along the shores of Monterey Bay.
In December 1602, a Spanish expedition led by Sebastián Vizcaíno observed multiple brown bears scavenging the carcass of a whale that had washed ashore. Today, of course, brown bears no longer patrol California’s Central Coast. The last known California grizzly was killed in 1922, and the final reported sighting occurred two years later.
This bit of history was front of mind last month as I photographed bears foraging for marine prey along the Alaskan coast, and I couldn’t help but wonder whether similar scenes might have unfolded along the biodiverse shores of Monterey centuries ago.
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#wildlifephotography #explore #natgeoyourshot #bear #wildlife
When I lived in Monterey, California, I was amazed to learn that the first documented European encounter with brown bears in what is now the United States occurred just down the street from my apartment, along the shores of Monterey Bay.
In December 1602, a Spanish expedition led by Sebastián Vizcaíno observed multiple brown bears scavenging the carcass of a whale that had washed ashore. Today, of course, brown bears no longer patrol California’s Central Coast. The last known California grizzly was killed in 1922, and the final reported sighting occurred two years later.
This bit of history was front of mind last month as I photographed bears foraging for marine prey along the Alaskan coast, and I couldn’t help but wonder whether similar scenes might have unfolded along the biodiverse shores of Monterey centuries ago.
•
#wildlifephotography #explore #natgeoyourshot #bear #wildlife
Comments (33)
9 days agospencerbera
Gorgeous shots, and I really like the caption! I always find myself pondering what certain ecosystems looked like in the past.
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