According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Kodiak brown bears are the largest bears in the world next to Polar Bears. They are a unique subspecies of the brown bear and they live exclusively on the islands in the Kodiak Archipelago, having been isolated from other bears for about 12,000 years. Despite their large stature, these huge bears can seem to disappear in an instant and keeping an eye on them was a continual challenge. Our expert guides were constantly watching in a 360° circle to make sure they knew the whereabouts of any bears near us. When we changed location, we kept our eyes on the bears as we slowly moved toward them or past them. The terrain near the river’s edge was covered with deep grasses that the bears loved to eat. They would sometimes lay down to munch on the grass. When they did, they’d all but disappear. If there was a knoll or depression these half ton plus animals could completely disappear from sight. The bear in this photograph is laying down in the deep grass. She was watching us but sometimes she would lay her head on her paws and only a sliver of her back showed. Because of her color and the color of some of the surrounding vegetation, she blended in well with her surroundings.