Quick Take
- A massive grizzly bear climbed a playground slide with no food reward in sight, and what it did next will make you rethink animal behavior. Watch the bear slide →
- Most people think grizzly bears can't climb, but the truth is more complicated than that myth suggests. See the climbing truth →
- There's a specific physical feature that separates grizzlies from black bears when it comes to climbing, and most people would never guess what it is. Discover the claw difference →
- Grizzly cub survival rates are far more precarious than most people realize, and the numbers from Yellowstone are striking.
Apparently, playground equipment is not just for kids. In this extraordinary clip, a large grizzly bear climbs onto a playground structure, gets itself to the top of a slide, and then comes sliding right back down. There does not appear to be food waiting at the top or any obvious reason for the bear to make the trip. We cannot know exactly what motivated it, but from our side of the screen, it certainly looks like the bear figured out how the slide works and decided to give it a shot.
Watch the Grizzly Take On the Slide
Do Grizzly Bears Normally Climb?
It is a common misconception that grizzly bears cannot climb. We are much more accustomed to seeing black bears scrambling up trees, but grizzlies are capable climbers too. According to the National Park Service, cubs and younger, smaller grizzlies are proficient tree climbers, and even adult males and females can climb when necessary.
Young grizzlies have a much easier time of it because they are lighter and more agile than full-grown adults. Climbing can also give a young bear another option when it needs to get away from danger. That does not mean life is easy for a grizzly cub. Survival varies by population and conditions, and National Park Service data from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem estimates annual cub survival at about 55%.
Adult grizzlies can climb as well, but you are far less likely to see a 500-pound bear hanging out in the branches than a cub. As grizzlies mature, their increasing body weight and long claws make tree climbing considerably more difficult. They are physically capable of doing it. They just are not nearly as well built for it as black bears.
Why Don’t Grizzly Bears Climb Very Often?
Contrary to popular belief, grizzly bears can climb trees.
©iStock.com/ErikMandre
The simple answer is that they usually don’t need to. Grizzly bears are opportunistic omnivores with a remarkably varied diet. Depending on where they live and the time of year, they may eat grasses, roots, berries, pine nuts, insects, rodents, fish, and larger mammals or their carcasses. In Yellowstone, some grizzlies also prey on elk calves and feed on spawning cutthroat trout. A tremendous amount of that food is available without ever leaving the ground.
Size creates another problem. Yellowstone’s adult male grizzlies can weigh around 200 to 700 pounds, while females generally weigh about 200 to 400 pounds. The larger a bear gets, the more difficult it becomes to haul that much weight up a tree and maneuver among the branches. Young grizzlies simply have a much easier job.
Their claws also tell part of the story. Black bears have shorter, more curved claws that work particularly well for gripping bark and climbing. Grizzlies have longer, less-curved claws and powerful shoulder muscles that are better suited for digging up roots, bulbs, rodents, and other food buried in the ground. Put all of that together and grizzlies certainly can climb. They are just much better equipped for life with all four paws on the ground. Which makes seeing one voluntarily head down a playground slide a little more entertaining.
