We all knew mountain goats defy gravity when they prance around sharp rock faces, but did you know bears have some serious climbing ability too? And I’m not just talking about trees…
A kayaker in Texas’ Big Bend National Park saw a mama black bear and her cub climb the face of Santa Elena Canyon wall and it was one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen.
First of all, bears are pretty big…
The mother isn’t the largest black bear we’ve ever seen, but still had to be a few hundred pounds and really didn’t show any struggles grabbing holds and pulling herself up to a ledge. Clearly, it wasn’t the first time she’d done this.
Though maybe even more mind blowing was the cub trailing behind her, following her path step for step until one of the gaps was just a bit too big. But that was no issue for this little guy, as he took a second, recalibrated, then made a slight adjustment to his route and got himself to the same ledge, where he hurried to catch up to his mama.
I’ve watched this a few times now and every single view I get more impressed with the dexterity and nimbleness of these two.
As the great Dr. Ian Malcomb says in Jurassic Park, life finds a way…