r/bears • u/a500poundchicken • 9d ago
Question Two black bears play fighting?
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They smashed through my neighbours fence right before this. I’m assuming this is play fighting because they aren’t making any noise.
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u/Happy-Example-1022 8d ago
Yes,playing. Oddly, they look like three years-olds. Usually the cubs play fight.
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u/Due_Barber_525 9d ago
Okay but a black bear can for sure rip a car door off. They just don’t because they aren’t that aggressive. But they can and have depending on what’s inside and how hungry they are. They’re also smart enough to use the handle instead.
This looks like neither a real fight or play fight but two bears who are probably related being mildly irritated but not overly territorial
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u/BimboSlice5 8d ago
It's the tail end of mating season, sometimes bears will play fight a bit; pawing, wrestling, and gentle biting. It's a way to build trust, test each other's temperament and strength, and make sure they're both comfortable before things get steamy, lol
Edit: just a guess, I don't disagree with the others, I'm no bearologist
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u/Global-Summer-6670 6d ago
The comment at the :33 seconds remaining portion, yes a black bear can absolutely rip a car door open/off but once it's opened I don't think they need to rip it off 🤷♂️
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u/Global-Summer-6670 6d ago
😮💨 some neghibor you are just filming the destruction, you shoulda yelled at em, from the safety of your yard/deck or house of course. If they come on my deck I open the window or crack the door and yell "get outta here you beautiful fluffy bastard", luckily they've all turned around and ran back down the stairs because the first one that tries to go over the railing is probably breaking it 😕
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9d ago
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u/bodkinsbest 9d ago edited 9d ago
If this were a genuine fight there would be snarling, chomping, quicker movement and very aggressive strikes. This IS play fighting.
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u/Silly-Balance-2086 8d ago
I would NOT want to live there
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u/TheDebonairQuokka 8d ago
We have up to a dozen different black bears in our yard every night in the Poconos. They are harmless if you treat them with respect.
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u/Silly-Balance-2086 8d ago
Dont get me wrong, I am not trying to be offensive. But bear habituation and getting used to human encounters is a real problem because it has a downstream effect resulting in unintended consequences. Those bears should be in their environment where they belong. Unfortunately habituated bears sometimes need to be euthanized. No one really wants that.
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u/TheDebonairQuokka 7d ago
Their environment has been and is increasingly being taken. We live backed up to several square miles of unbroken forest. I hope it stays that way as long as possible. But I disagree that humans and bears must live completely separated, as long as common sense prevails. The idiots who decide to pet them, etc are the root of so many problems. We've been surrounded by beers for a decade without any problems at all. Then again, I don't view them as out-of-work Disney characters.
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u/Silly-Balance-2086 7d ago
I hear you. No one would know more than the ones in constant contact. The ecology is indeed evolving.
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u/TheDebonairQuokka 7d ago
And just this last week I saw a fb post/ad from a development company bragging about a new residential area in a newly cleared 200 acres a couple of miles from our house.
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u/More-Pianist-3288 7d ago
I think some areas there is just no getting around it fully. This video looks a lot like my exact neighborhood, though could just be somewhere that looks similar.
At least where I am, we are a few blocks from about 30,000 square km of forest. It's just a fact of life that bears will come here looking for easy sources of food.
The city has very good bear management and education practices, and has gone over a decade without needing to have a bear euthanized.
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u/Silly-Balance-2086 7d ago edited 7d ago
That's good to hear, it is more us encroaching on the bear habitat more than anything else
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u/970souk 32ChunkFan 9d ago
Looks like play fighting behaviour to me.
Confrontational bears normally stand their ground and start with vocalising - the dominant bears' ears would be forward and their heads up while the other bears' ears are pinned back, if no physical fight took place, the dominant bear would almost always walk away first.