Tag: grizzly

Closest thing to a black bear vs. grizzly fight unfolds at Yellowstone

A black bear was enjoying a bison meal in Yellowstone when a grizzly bear happened upon the scene. It ended with an unexpected result.

A black bear was enjoying a meal of bison along a river in Yellowstone National Park recently when a grizzly bear happened upon the scene.

In most cases, the usual response would be for the black bear to flee and avoid a confrontation with the fiercer grizzly. But that’s not what unfolded before Ron Sterbenz as he videotaped the encounter.

Instead, the black bear ran the grizzly off. Sterbenz told USA Today/For The Win Outdoors that he might never capture an actual fight between a black bear and a grizzly, “but this was super close to it.”

Sterbenz, who regularly posts wildlife videos on his YouTube Yellowstone Video channel, described the encounter to USA Today/For The Win Outdoors:

“From time to time you see black bears avoid grizzlies by giving them some space or they take the other side of a pond, lake or meadow but have never seen black bear head straight towards a grizzly without sizing up the situation or challenge first. I had never seen black bear go head first into a possible confrontation. Size wise this is by far one of the largest male black bears I have seen and while the grizzly might be young he is still a pretty sizable bear.

“While recording I thought what I saw was black bear versus grizzly but wasn’t completely sure until I starting working on the video.  Toward the end the grizzly starts urinating which I assume is scent marking and trying to show dominance, but I am not really sure what it meant and never saw a bear do that before.  Some folks think bears are quick to conflict in the form of fight, but you can see that neither really wanted to risk that.  Not sure if I will ever capture a full on black bear versus grizzly fight out there, but this was super close to it.

“A couple other things I took away from this event was that black bears are not nearly as passive as people sometimes think and in this case charged a grizzly not once but a few times. The other thing was how the grizzly really tested the other bear and backdown after bluff charges that failed. Might be a good thing to remember when confronted, as long as there isn’t a carcass between you and the bear. Personally, I prefer to watch from a safe distance and never find out.”

Massive grizzly bear dwarfs storage shed; questions are raised

Images showing a giant grizzly bear dwarfing a storage shed while scratching its back on the structure have raised questions.

Photos showing an enormous grizzly bear dwarfing a storage shed while scratching its back on the structure have raised questions.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks used the images in a quiz that asked  followers to guess whether this was a grizzly bear or black bear. But the answer was clearly visible in the description’s wording:

“Here is a helpful hint: Grizzly bears are generally larger than black bears and may be bigger than a small shed. Also, they can be distinguished by longer, curved claws, humped shoulders, and a face that appears to be concave.”

ALSO: Yellowstone guide saves motorist from momma grizzly bear’s wrath

If that wasn’t a giveaway, two hashtags mentioned grizzly bears and not one mentioned black bears. (See images below.)

Perhaps a better question was asked by the photographer, Jamie Goguen, who wondered on Facebook how much this grizzly bear might weigh.

Wrote Goguen: “Our old generator storage structure on Montana’s eastern front has become Brutus’s personal scratch tree. Then he took a nap.”

Goguen’s post generated more than 2,000 comments, mostly pertaining to the size of the bear. (The image showing the napping bruin reveals the telltale grizzly bear hump.)

Male grizzly bears are larger than females and can weigh up to 700 pounds. Black bears of the same sex and age class can be half the size of grizzly bears.

Grizzly bears are known to scratch against trees, power poles and other structures as a means of “scent marking” to communicate with other bears.

Huge grizzly bear springs into action after scent-marking tree

Images showing a grizzly bear scent-marking a tree in Grand Teton National Park are reminiscent of dramatic trail-cam footage captured in August 2021 in Canada’s Yukon Territory.

Buckrail on Thursday published images showing a grizzly bear standing while rubbing its back against a telephone pole in Grand Teton National Park.

Buckrail explained that this is more about scent marking than scratching. Marking is a means of communication and the higher a bear can place its scent the larger it’ll appear to other grizzly bears.

The publication describes this as a spring phenomenon, but the photos are reminiscent of trail-cam footage captured in August 2021 in Canada’s Yukon Territory.

[affiliatewidget_deal1]

The Yukon Wildlife Cams footage (posted below) shows a giant grizzly bear rubbing against a tree before charging toward the camera in slow motion.

Please note the thoroughness with which this bear marks the tree, but also the remarkable perspective afforded by the camera as the bear runs past in slow motion.

You might agree with trail-cam operator David Troup, who exclaimed via Facebook: “Look at those claws!”

Yellowstone grizzly bear attacks smaller bear; park provides details

Yellowstone National Park has provided details about a deadly confrontation between a 500-pound male grizzly bear and a 148-pound subadult grizzly bear.

On Sunday morning, tourists in Yellowstone National Park witnessed an attack by an adult female grizzly bear on her subadult male offspring.

That was swiftly followed by a more savage attack by a 500-pound male grizzly bear that had been hoping to mate with the female bear. The 148-pound, 3-year-old subadult sustained serious wounds and was later euthanized by park staff.

It appeared to have been a natural event. Adult male grizzly bears that are trying to mate will attack and sometimes kill cubs or smaller male bears. It could be that the female bear’s initial attack was an attempt to persuade the subadult to flee the danger zone.

ALSO: Surreal footage shows rare orca encounter off Cape Cod

In any event, since conflicting reports have circulated via social media, FTW Outdoors asked the park for a timeline description of what occurred. It reads:

–The male subadult bear, weighing 148 pounds, was seen digging on the roadside prior to the attack, unaware that a mating pair of grizzly bears was approaching it.

–The female of the mating pair aggressively attacked the subadult bear. It was then able to temporarily free itself, but the large male grizzly, estimated to be over 500 pounds, attacked and pinned it to the ground before leaving it. The subadult bear attempted to get up, which caused the male bear to attack it a second time by grabbing and shaking its neck and head.

–Bear management staff arrived on scene and observed the subadult bear for an hour and determined that it was not going to survive.

–Staff hazed the mating pair away from the road, moved visitors from the scene, and then euthanized the subadult bear and removed it from the roadside.

–Biologists performed a necropsy on the bear and determined it suffered significant injuries, including massive head, neck and spinal wounds, a broken right shoulder and a laceration in the right flank exposing its organs.

–Grizzly bear image is generic

Cyclists shout at grizzly bear during encounter; right or wrong?

A group of cyclists who encountered a grizzly bear in Glacier National Park shouted in the direction of the bear to prevent an attack.

A group of cyclists who were stopped alongside a road in Glacier National Park shouted toward a grizzly bear to ward off a possible attack. Was that smart or unwise?

In the accompanying footage, captured by Maureen Gerber and shared by KUTV 2News, the cyclists repeatedly shout “No bear!” and “Go away, bear!” Some of these demands were louder than others.

Those sharing comments beneath the KUTV Facebook post had mixed opinions, with some maintaining that it’s best to make lots of noise.

However, while it’s proper to make noise while hiking or cycling, to alert grizzly bears to your presence, experts advise against shouting or screaming during an encounter.

ALSO: Elephant charges safari bus in harrowing close encounter; video 

According to the National Park Service, once a bear has spotted you it’s best to stand your ground or slowly back away while talking calmly and slowly waving your arms to help the bear recognize you as a human.

The cyclists appear to have remained calm. But their increasingly loud “No bear!” shouts might not have been the safest reaction.

From the NPS website: “Stay calm and remember that most bears do not want to attack you; they usually just want to be left alone…. Continue to talk to the bear in low tones; this will help you stay calmer, and it won’t be threatening to the bear. A scream or sudden movement may trigger an attack.”

Stronger emphasis from the NPS:  “Do not make any loud noises or screams—the bear may think it’s the sound of a prey animal.”

The cyclists, who were grouped together and barricaded somewhat by their bikes, did not scream but their tones were not always low and, in fact, might have caused the bear to look in their direction.

Reads one of the top comments: “That bear wasn’t the least bit threatening to those people. He was just meandering by and probably wouldn’t have even looked over at them if they hadn’t been causing such a commotion.”

Glacier National Park is in Montana. The encounter occurred Monday on Going-to-the-Sun Road.

–Generic grizzly bear image courtesy of the National Park Service