See This Huge Grizzly Have Fun on a Kid’s Slide

Who says that grizzly bears don’t know how to have fun? In this extraordinary clip, you will get to see a large grizzly bear climb up, and then slide down a kid’s slide. There is nothing at the top of the slide to attract the bear so it must be doing it purely for entertainment – and why not?

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Do Grizzly Bears Normally Climb?

It’s a commonly held misconception that grizzly bears cannot climb. We are used to seeing black bears scale trees but footage of their larger cousins in the branches is less common. However, many grizzlies are perfectly capable of climbing when they need to.

Grizzly bear cubs are skilled climbers and they need to be! These guys are hunted by coyotes and wolves so being able to get up a tree quickly is a distinct advantage. Grizzly cubs have a hazardous life and less than 10 percent of them make it into adulthood. However, these playful little bears are sometimes seen climbing trees just for fun too.

Adult grizzly bears have also been seen climbing trees but they don’t do it so often. Mother bears climb into trees to protect their cubs. Grizzlies may also climb if they want to reach a particularly tasty snack.

Why Don’t Grizzly Bears Climb Very Often?

The simple answer is that they don’t need to. Grizzly bears are omnivores and eat a range of both plants and animals. Their diet is made up of grasses, roots, insects, deer elk, and mice. Some are very good at catching salmon from rivers. Most of their food is found at ground level so they don’t have to climb into trees to find it. It would not be worth them using up all that energy. Adult grizzly bears also have very few predators so they don’t need to climb to great heights to stay safe – they just stand and fight instead.

Another reason is connected with their weight. A full-grown adult grizzly bear can weigh up to 800 pounds. That is quite some weight for tree branches to support and they face the very real risk of crashing to the ground and getting badly injured or worse. Why take the risk if you don’t have to?

Also, their claws are not designed for climbing. Black bears’ claws are curved like hooks and allow them to grasp the bark of the tree trunk as they climb. Grizzly bear claws are normally used for slashing prey and are not so great at gripping bark.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Georgia Evans/iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images