We stood knee deep in the Uganik River watching a mother Kodiak Brown Bear with a single cub as they foraged at the water’s edge surrounded by kelp. The young cub stayed close by its mother as she scraped at the kelp with her long sharp claws. I’m not sure if she clawed at the kelp to clear it away to expose something beneath it, perhaps barnacles, or to eat the kelp itself. The young cub stayed close to its mother the entire time, sometimes laying next to her with its snout within an inch or so of hers while munching on whatever it was they were eating. While this image appears to be an affectionate gesture, it could be that the youngster is just licking off some of the food they just consumed and wondering what else was for lunch.