Don’t want to mess with this big boy.
Tourists that travel to Yellowstone National Park – some 3 million every year – aren’t guaranteed to see bears when they visit the nation’s oldest national park. But there’s always a good chance that a grizzly is lurking nearby, or in the case of this video, a handful of grizzlies.
There’s nothing more cinematic than seeing four grizzly bears in an all-out-war over dinner. And there’s no better place for such an epic battle to happen than Yellowstone National Park. That’s the backdrop for this grizzly bear showdown, and for a place that’s renowned for its beautiful landscape, it sure can provide some ugly fights amongst the wildlife that calls it home.
The four sizable grizzlies (grizzly bears can weigh between 400 to 1,000 pounds) in this video couldn’t agree on who had the right to claim the carcass laying on the ground as their own. So, they settled it like four fired up, fully grown bears and went right at one another’s throats. And no surprise at all… the biggest of the bears is the one that laid claim to the free dinner.
But it wasn’t without a challenge from some of the other grizzlies in the area. That being said, it wasn’t much of a challenge, and can you really blame the other bears? This has to be one of the largest grizzly bears within Yellowstone National Park. You don’t get to that size without winning more than a few fights over food.
Andrea Baratte, the tour guide and wildlife photographer that captured this video for “Montana Wild,” said in the caption that this kind of standoff is not uncommon this time of the year. All of the grizzlies are trying to fatten up before they go into hibernation for the winter, and in this case, the biggest one earned the right to the carcass:
“Big grizzly bear charging another male in Yellowstone. Four grizzlies on one carcass this morning – and this massive bear ruled them all. Incredible power on display as they prepare for the coming winter.”
Sheesh… that’s honestly terrifying to watch. I’m glad I’m just watching this online and not actually finding myself staring down this grizzly. The smaller bear in the footage didn’t even want a piece of the larger grizzly, and that should tell you something.
With their incomparable strength, their underrated speed, and the sheer force of their jaw (can bite at 1,000 psi, which is A LOT), you really do not want to come toe-to-toe with a grizzly bear. Experts suggest that if you are to come across a bear, you should make yourself appear larger by raising your arms, and then speaking and yelling in a deep voice at the bear.
Let’s just hope that you never have to put that defense into action though… the best defense from a grizzly bear attack is to never get near a grizzly in the first place. It’s best to just watch them from a distance, or better yet, take in social media videos like this one.
