YouTube user David Pangborn's footage below of a lone grizzly bear in Denali National Park has the Internet abuzz. The clip below, though brief, shows a grizzly gleefully turning the hillside into its personal playground.
Frolicking, tumbling, and rolling downslope, the grizzly's actions are met with delight from Pangborn and his fellow onlookers who can be heard chuckling, snapping pictures and making jovial remarks like "I think he's drunk," throughout the natural exhibition.
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The fact that bears are playful and extremely intelligent creatures shouldn't come as a surprise for bear lovers. According to the North American Bear Center, some scientific studies suggest that through play, bears enhance the healthy development of their brain, improve their cardiovascular fitness and burn energy excess.
Although the scientific community doesn't seem to reach an agreement on the exact reason why many mammals play, they do agree it's related to learning, NABC says.
They add that playing is much more common in the case of bear cubs, and that bears older than 18 months tend to play less. However, adult bears are more likely to play in some circumstances such as having plenty of food, mating season or having cubs to play with.
There's no scientific data to back this up, but it does sound like a bear that plays is a happy bear and that our grizzly friend in the video below is a happy fellow. The candid moment is proving to be quite special, as it has already garnered over three million YouTube views since it was uploaded on August 23, 2015.
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