Who knew bears could fly?
We thought we knew what black bears were capable of doing. Sure, we knew how fast they are, how great their sense of smell is and how powerful their legs are when they want to use them. Plenty of nature documentaries have captured and highlighted those things.
However, we must admit, we may have taken the black bear's athletic ability for granted a bit. Sure, we knew they could run fast, but did you know they are capable of some huge leaps?
We did not until we saw this recent viral video out of North Carolina. This young bear, which appears to be a cub, spends the first few seconds of the video scaling to the top of a high deck somewhere in the mountains before it suddenly notices the person holding the camera. Seconds later, this young bruin is making an astounding leap to a nearby tree and a hasty escape down the trunk. It is an impressive feat you must see for yourself.
Wow, now that was quite the jump for a bruin! We are used to seeing squirrels make jumps like this, but never a bear. Who would have thought?
Bears do have a bit of a pudgy appearance due to all the fat they pack on in the summer months in preparation for winter. This makes it easy for us to forget how muscular they are underneath all that fat and fur. Still, we never expected one to make a leap from a standing position that is enough to make an Olympic track star jealous.
Although we kind of feel bad for this little guy. All that effort to climb up to the top of this porch, likely looking for a tasty treat in the house was for naught. When he finally gets there, that is when he notices the human and decides it is time to make a hasty retreat out of there. Impressive jump little guy!
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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