Climbing trees seems to be doing by monkeys right? But what about bears? Have you ever seen bears climbing trees or somewhere? Maybe you’ve seen bears around the tree or even hugging, stretching, and stroking the tree, but you might haven’t seen bears climbing trees. If you do, here’s why bears climb trees and more to it.
The Concise Answer…
All of the bears can climb trees including polar bears and brown bears (Grizzly bear) which are almost twice the size of other bears. Bears climb trees with their paws just like cats and squirrels. While polar bears can climb trees but due to the fewer trees in the arctic, they have been rarely seen climbing trees. All of the bears climb trees for food except giant bears which climbs for escaping from predators. Bear’s are omnivores and eats berries, nuts, carrots, honey, birds egg, and fruits just like raccoons eat everything. But that’s not the only reason bears climb trees, bears also climb to protect and shelter from a predator or have a quick rest or snooze, even sleep. However, all of the baby bears (cubs) can climb very easily and fastly quite high up on the trees.
Unlike bear tails, which isn’t very visible, bears climb trees with their claws frequently. But since bears are quite heavy and enormous, can bear climb trees, why do bears climb trees, and which species of bears can actually climb trees, do polar bears climb trees, and is it for food or is it for fun? Here’s the answer.
Which Species of Bears Can Climb Trees?
There are around 8 species of bears and all of the bears can climb trees, some faster than others but overall, all of them can climb trees including polar bears which most people think are only able to climb on cliffs. Polar bears paw lacks sharp strong nails however, that doesn’t mean polar bears can’t climb trees. There aren’t many trees in the Arctic, except small trees and their pups climb those trees pretty easily. If you don’t know, adult bears won’t climb a tree unless they are sure of the strongness of that tree and can hold them.
Their claws are not as hooked as black bears but polar bears do climb cliffs, mountains, hills, rocks with snow and can also climb trees without a problem. The reason polar bears don’t climb often in the arctic is due to the small trees. If they try to climb, the trees will fall easily due to their heavy weight. There’s not really large trees in their vicinity. But they could climb trees as well just like the climb high up mountains with the snow. In fact, polar bears have been seen climbing trees.
The Spectacled bears or Andean bears are also very good climbers and inhabits in Andes Mountains, can climb well on trees, mountains, hills, and rocks. They are the largest land carnivoran on that part of the continent but their diet consist of only 5% meat, that means, Andean bears climb trees, mountains for the same reason other bears do, which is food. Similar to raccoons, bears eat everything including chocolates that are toxic.
The Asian black bear is a medium-sized bear that climbs trees the fastest. And in addition to food, they also take asleep on the trees.
The Sun bear is the smaller of the bears but can climb faster than some bears species and climbs for food.
With the brown bears being also able to climb trees, they have been seen upto 50 feet up in the trees.
Giant Pandas are also pretty keen to climb trees but slow and since they are mostly on trees, you might have probably seen them physically or virtually. Adult pandas usually do not sleep in trees, but as soon as the baby pandas start walking, they will climb trees and mostly when their mother is out for food. The reason they climb trees is predator avoidance. With the mom need to eat lots of time and is mostly out for food, and can’t protect the cubs, the cubs will climb up trees to protect themselves. Sometimes, their mom might climb trees for food, but often it doesn’t happen.
If you encounter with bears, a quick way to know which bear species is it, climb up on a tree.
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If the bear chase you up, it’s a black bear.
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And if it knocks the tree down, it’s a grizzly bear.
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If it picks the tree up, it’s a polar bear.
Why Do Bears Climb Trees?
Bears may seem more of a land animal but they often climb trees for food, escaping from predators and sleep.
Bears need to eat around 90 pounds a day and so bears spent most of the time finding and eating food. The bear’s diet mostly consists of fruits, flowers, honey, and plants but also eats fish and mammals. And so bears climb very high up on the trees for foraging food.
These powerful beasts aren’t in exception from predators and they do have predators. The largest predator of bears is humans but baby bears have lots of predators. Bear’s babies are born in January after raccoons give birth in the spring.
When they spot a predator, bears will climb up on the trees to hide and escape and shelter from a predator. In addition to this, bears also climb on trees for taking a quick snooze.
Where can Bears Climb Except Trees?
All of the bears can climb trees which is where they are in the forests including polar bears which are likely to climb trees also. The place where bears climb is limited to their vicinities like the bears which inhabitant the forests often climb a tree and the bear which lives in arctic climbs in the mountains often climbs a mountain. But replacing their habitants, they would definately climb trees, rocks, mountains. They would climb just like the other bear.
All of them are bears and so bears can climb cliffs, trees, mountains, rocks, hills, and most places where a person can’t. Bears are good climbers better than humans.
How Bears Climb Trees?
Bears have large sharp curved claws that are perfect for climbing and on those heights are much likely to be food there. In fact, bears are even better climbers than you.
Bears climb trees jumping on the tree and moves up with his legs and jumps uniformly grasping with their paw and pushing with his back legs.
However, brown bears try to knock the tree at first but if the tree is large and couldn’t be knocked, it will use branches to climb the tree in addition to using its paws and claws power.
Black bears are usually berry loving and climb trees for it but are scared of people and avoid confrontations. The attacks that happen to the people are usually from the brown also known as North American bear which is twice bigger than them. These brown bears are pretty massive and can also climb trees but aren’t afraid of people and attacks instead.
All of the young bears can climb trees very easily and faster than their parents. But once they cross young age, and gain lots of weight, it would be a little bit difficult for them to climb trees due to their weight and older bears can’t climb. In fact, if they fall or the tree fall, it may break bones and do some serious damage or kill them.
The younger the bear is, the faster it will climb. However, the older the bear gets, the slower it will be, but most old bears can’t climb trees.
Bears not only climb on tree but also walk on the tree with all their legs and won’t stand up. Bears avoid catching, walking, or napping on the small, weak and dead branches.
How Bears Go Down From Trees?
Climbing up is difficult but coming down is even more difficult. And with a massive weight of 400 – 500kg, it’s even harder. It may seem very difficult but its not really difficult for bears. Unlike chipmunks that climb and come down with their head first, bears nowhere climb and go down like them. Instead, bears come down the way they climb trees. Means, they come down with their back legs first and their front legs next the same way they climb but on the opposite side and when they are near they will simply jump but can’t jump like raccoons jump high from heights. Bears use the same way to come down they climb.
Can Polar Bears Climb Trees?
The white polar bears are bigger, heavier, and more powerful than all of the bear’s species but that doesn’t mean they aren’t good climbers. In fact, polar bears are better climbers than some bears species and climbs cliffs, mountains, hills, and everywhere in the north pole. But polar bears have rarely been seen climbing trees and the question is, can polar bears climb trees?
Polar bears are one of the keystone species that inhabit the arctic. In the Arctic, there are very less small trees unlike forest. No plants or grass grow there even in the summer when it’s hot. There’s very rarely a large tree. Suppose if there’s a large tree, can polar bear climb?
Opposite to most people’s opinions, the answer is yes. Polar bears climb trees but due to the small trees in the artic, they can’t climb those small trees.
Baby polar bears have been constantly seen climbing those small trees, and they climb just like other bear’s cups. Despite that, polar bears have been also seen up on the trees, but haven’t been usually due to small trees.
You may say polar bears are too heavy to climb up on a tree, however, the heavier they are, the more powerful they are. According to their size (which is larger than other bears species), polar bears have also the power to do all his activities including climbing.
Or you may say polar bear’s claw is different from other bears and lacks nails so it couldn’t climb up. Remember, polar bears are climbing higher and more dangerous places like cliffs, mountains, hills full of snow. That means, polar bears can also climb up trees. But the reason they haven’t been seen climbing is due to the lack of large trees in the arctic. Polar bears don’t climb small, and weak trees due to it falls.
Not to forget polar bear is eventually a bear and it does have all of the qualities of a bear and is even more powerful than most bears species.
Adapting in little or no large trees environment, polar bears don’t climb trees like brown or black bears do.
Sooner or later, the polar is slowly migrating to the forests due to the melting ice of the arctic. And we will see the polar bears climbing trees. However, polar pups have been seen climbing on trees many times.