A mother Grizzly Bear supervises her two cubs as they tussle

While bear cubs play more than almost any other young animal, biologists don’t yet agree on exactly why. It could help them learn to recognize other bears, practice the skills they’ll need as adults, or simply burn off excess energy.

Another theory is that bears play for the same reasons humans do: because it’s fun! Naturalists have observed that when adult bears have enough food to eat, they like to seek out other individuals to wrestle. The Grizzly Olympics only last as long as the food does, though.

Stock Image #20190723-185403