It's Amazing How Fast These Bear Cubs Can Run Up A Tree

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Fear is an inevitable emotion that comes to both humans and animals. Have you ever heard the phrase “Animals are more afraid of you than you are of them?” We know it’s hard to think that animals may experience fear, but they do. Not only can they fear humans, but they also fear predators in the wild. Don’t miss the moment in the video above, when these little bear cubs got so scared they ran up a tree with record speed.

Bear Cubs Speed Running Up a Tree

As the video above starts, we see six little bear cubs standing in a dense forest together. A few of them are perched up on a log. Something on the left of our screens has their undivided attention. At first, it seems like a beautiful painting someone has captured as they are not moving an inch.

Suddenly, they are alerted to whatever has caught their eye, and they simultaneously all turn and shock us all by running straight up the tree! What’s surprising is not that they can climb trees, but how fast they can get up the tree. Once they have reached the top of the tree, they all stop and look back. Wondering if the thing they fear is coming closer.

Why Do Bears Climb Trees?

Despite how much black bears can weigh, they can also climb trees. Not only can they climb, but they are exceptional at it as well. The National Park Service quotes, “They have strong curved claws that allow them to climb trees with agility.” Their long claws can reach up to two inches, and they are even sharper than a grizzly bear’s claws.

Bears will often run up trees to either get away from a predator or to find food. The North American black bear (Ursus americanus) has a few predators such as grizzly bears, foxes, and birds of prey. Now, let’s not get it twisted, the black bear is a massive animal that can weigh up to 880 pounds. And so few predators will want to engage in a fight with them. But, their cubs are especially susceptible to these threats, which is why mama bears are so protective.

Secondly, they will also go searching for food up in trees. As omnivores, black bears will eat things such as fruits, nuts, and various rodents. They can eat approximately 5,000 calories a day, or as the FWC would put it, the equivalent of two cheese pizzas.

Our best guess is that in the video posted above, these little rascals were not looking for food. There was bound to be some predator that was seeking them out. And without the protection of their mother, all they could do was run and hide.