Mother Grizzly Bear Goes Full Sprint After a Coyote Spooked Her Cub - A-Z Animals

Maternal instinct is a powerful force of nature, and grizzly bears have one of the strongest in the animal kingdom! The short clip below features a mama bear owning up to that promise as she rushes to protect her baby. As the video begins, we see a coyote trotting along the countryside, but his target soon becomes clear. A tiny baby bear realizes he’s being tracked down and breaks for it. At the same time, his mother realizes that a threat is near. After lumbering down the hill and checking that her cub is safe, she scans the area for the troublesome coyote. However, he’s long since gone – he scrammed at the first sight of a charging grizzly. Scroll further on to see this encounter for yourself!

Watch Mama Bear in Action

Are Grizzly Bear Cubs at Risk?

Sadly, young grizzly bears lead a life full of dangers. If threats like habitat destruction and disease weren’t enough, bear cubs also have to dodge their natural predators. Creatures like rival grizzly bears, mountain lions, and wolves will attack cubs if they get a chance to do so. Clearly, even coyotes will try this if the opportunity arises!

Because grizzly bears slowly mature, mother grizzlies have their work cut out for them. As papa bears don’t stick with their family, mama bears are singularly tasked with caring for their offspring. Usually, grizzly bears only have a handful of cubs, with typical litters having one to four babies in them. On top of these odds, females who are currently watching out for their young will wait until their current children grow up before having another litter. You could say that it’s a natural adaptation that mother grizzlies are some of the most fierce parents in the animal kingdom. It’s this species’ way of getting an advantage, which is saying a lot for one of the most skilled predators in the world!

What Do Coyotes Eat?

As coyotes are canines, they usually subsist on a carnivorous diet. When they can, they’ll hunt down animals like deer and rabbits, which usually inhabit similar regions. If this kind of prey is scarce, though, they might be tempted to chase down young critters like bear cubs. Even further, when that kind of gamble becomes too dangerous, coyotes always have the option to munch on insects and plant-based foods as well. To get a bigger picture of all the different things these dogs dine on, please check out our coyote diet article here!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © BlueBarronPhoto/Shutterstock.com