Wildlife camera spies pole dancing bears using tree for backrubs (VIDEO)


posted Wednesday, July 31, 2013 at 2:55 PM EST


Ever wondered what animals get up to when we're not watching? A wildlife video from Kananaskis Country park near Calgary has gone viral, thanks to the adorable view it's given us of a sleuth of bears using a tree for backrubs.

As cute as this video might be, there's actually a lot more going on here than a group of bears in desperate need of a back scratch. Glenn Naylor, the park ranger who put together the video, explains in the YouTube description:

"These images were captured with a remote wildlife camera as various species visited a 'communications' or 'rub' tree in Kananaskis Country, leaving a scent as a form of communication to other bears and animals."

So while it might look like the bears are just in it for scratching and hanging out, it's actually also about communicating by leaving scent marks for other animals to register.

The video is part of a larger body of research in the parks, specifically looking at the way multiple species interact and use the same space. If you watch the video, you can see a number of deer also swing by the tree to check it out.

Below the original video is an (inevitably) edited version, showing the bear doing a wildlife take on the Harlem Shake. (Anyone remember the Harlem Shake?)

(via PetaPixel and Cheezbuger)