This Dramatic Bear Fight Is the Wildest Video You’ll See All Week

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From beloved children’s stories like Eric Carle’s Brown Brown, Brown Bear, What Do You See? to their use as sports mascots, brown bears continually captivate the human imagination. Their massive size and raw power inspire both fear and respect. In this video from the Into our Wild channel, you’ll see the sheer force of these animals when two titans clash in the wild!

The Eurasian Brown Bear

The bears in the video above were filmed in Finland, where an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 Eurasian brown bears live in the country’s northern forests. The Finnish people have revered these bears since ancient times and have more than 200 names for the animals.

Eurasian brown bears are among the largest terrestrial carnivores in Europe. However, brown bears are omnivorous and most of their diet actually comes from small plants like grains and berries. They also dig and forage for insects and larvae and hunt birds, fish, and mammals. Brown bears are incredibly strong and many can take down an adult moose.

Despite their name, brown bears come in many shades, from dark blackish-brown to blonde. They typically weigh between 580 and 780 pounds with dense muscles and heavy-duty skeletons built to withstand their enormous size. Brown bears are powerful animals with strong teeth and long claws for digging up food.

The Truth About Brown Bear Aggression

Brown bears generally avoid trouble, whether with humans or other bears. In fact, they are rather keen on avoiding humans altogether whenever possible. From 2000 to 2015, there were only 17 reported bear attacks in Finland, and most involved a mother bear protecting her cubs. There has only been one fatal bear attack since 1936, which occurred in 2006. The vast majority of bear encounters in the country end peacefully, usually with the bear deciding to leave the area.

Brown bears are extremely strong, with bones and muscles designed to support their massive build. The distinctive hump on their shoulders is a mass of pure muscle that gives the bear some serious power in its front limbs. And while they lumber when they walk, bears can sprint up to 30 mph and climb trees with ease.

Why Brown Bears Fight

Brown bears generally avoid conflict, as it costs a lot of energy, and there’s always a chance they’ll get injured. However, as seen in the video above, fights do still happen. Male brown bears often fight each other during mating season, and female bears will take on anything — even a bear twice their size — if their cubs are in danger. Brown bears may also defend their range if another bear tries to encroach on their domain.

Food is another major source of conflict between bears, and few brown bears will give up a carcass without a fight, much like the bears in the video above. In the clip, you may notice other animals nearby, like the wolf and ravens — but as long as they stay away from the bear’s food, they have nothing to worry about. Like the two in the video, when brown bears fight they often stand on their hind legs to look larger and more formidable. They also show their teeth and claws and roar, trying to force their opponents to back down. Bear fights like these can last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. That may not seem terribly long, but brown bears can inflict a lot of damage even in a very short time.