SNAPPED: Grizzly 1063 and her three cubs

JACKSON, Wyo. — A sow grizzly and her three cubs prepare for winter hibernation near Pilgrim Creek in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP).

Buckrail photographer Nick Sulzer spotted the family of four walking through the tall grass on Thursday, Oct. 24. Local photographers, who were staked out watching the grizzlies, believe the sow was Grizzly 1063, granddaughter of the recently deceased Grizzly 399. This would make her three cubs infamous great grandchildren of 399.

According to Grizzly 1063's Instagram page, she is the seven-year-old daughter of 399's daughter named Blondie, or 793. This past spring, Grizzly 1063 came out of winter hibernation with her first litter of offspring, making her only slightly older than the area's average age for producing a first litter, the GTNP Foundation wrote on its website.

Bear biologists believe that grizzlies are giving birth later as a natural response to the increased density of bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, according to GTNP.

This fall, these three youngsters will continue to follow their mother while eating as much as possible. The cubs will join their mother in their seasonal den in GTNP for a second winter.

The National Park Service (NPS) says that most bears enter their den by mid-November, although some males will remain active through December.

Grizzly 1063 will feed, protect and care for her triplets for at least two years, according to the NPS. When the cubs are two and a half years old, they will most likely separate from their mother.