That was one tough beaver.
A driver in Northern Alberta, Canada came across a matchup rarely seen in nature: Beaver versus black bear.
Right off the bat, there’s some clear discrepancies…
Mature beavers are typically between 3 and 4 feet long (including tail) and weight anywhere from 40 to 70 pounds.
Black bear, on the other hand, range from 5 to 7 feet in length and can weigh over 600 pounds. Although they tend to eat mostly vegetation, there’s a reason they’re omnivores and won’t pass up some meat when it’s available.
But even though the beaver was a big underdog from the jump, it more than held its own.
When the driver pulls along side of the two, the beaver is in a small ditch by the roadside. You’d think it was hiding, probably hoping the bear would lose interest and move on by, but that was not the case at all.
It sprints out of the ditch and full on attacks the bear, which, as you may expect, doesn’t go so well. The bear quickly grabs a hold of it and pins it to the ground and all appears lost for the brave beaver.
But for some reason, the bear lets go, maybe thrown off by the tough, leathery skin that keeps it warm in cold waters. Immediately I’m screaming “Run beaver, run!” but that’s not what he’s made of. He immediately lunges back at the bear and even makes him turn away for a second. Again, a great opportunity to flee, but again, the beaver just refuses to back down.
They stare at each other for about a minute before the beaver mounts one last attack. Initially, the bear backs off but then gets hit with the realization that he’s a bear, sinks his teeth into the wiry beaver, and carries him back into the woods for a snack.
Gotta say, the beaver showed a lot of heart but little brains.
Regardless, he went down valiantly.
