Photos of grizzly bears catching salmon at Brooks Falls, Alaska, have become synonymous with the state. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews

Photos of grizzly bears catching salmon over Brooks Falls in Alaska (such as the one above, which I captured on a trip to Alaska in 2006) have become iconic images for the state and for the still-wild areas of America in general. And anyone who has been to Brooks has witnessed heart-thumping scenes just like this one.

But here’s a twist on this now familiar image: what’s it like for the salmon congregating underneath the falls?

Watch this short video produced by BBC Earth that explains some salmon strategies before the fish take the dangerous jump that they hope will result in success in clearing the falls—and evading dangerous, grizzly bear jaws.

Some don’t make it, but as stated in the film: for every salmon that gets caught, hundreds make it past the bears.

Here’s to finding your true places and natural habitats,

Candy