Video: What Bears Do in the Woods
OutdoorHub Reporters 07.29.13
Well, besides that. Instead of posing a rhetorical question this video, caught by a trail camera in Alberta, Canada, gives viewers a look into the social lives of bears.
Bears love rubbing on things, whether they be trees, signs, fence posts, cabins, cows, boulders, or power poles. Scientists believe that creatures don’t do it to relieve an itch, but rather to communicate to other bears. In fact, researchers believe males rub trees in order to leave their scent for other males to pick up as a sort of calling card. It allows bears to gauge the strength of rivals in area and as a way to familiarize themselves with local males. This lowers the chances for a confrontation and promotes a more peaceful mating season. In a sense, it’s a way for the animals to keep a message board. If that’s true, the below video would be bears texting.
As well as getting down on the newest bear dance moves.
Bears generally prefer smooth rubbing surfaces without objects such as branches or vegetation getting in the way.