It’s always impressive when you can see a bear stand on it’s hind legs, because it really gives you a feel for truly how big they are. But why do they stand on their hind legs? Well I have seen one bear do it almost as a scare tactic to try to scare us off, and make as aware of how big he is.

Another reason why bears do it is to get a better look (or smell) of something that has caught their attention. The sedge grass in the Khutzeymateen was particularly tall this spring, and so this 5 year-old bear was standing to get a better look at another bear to see if there was any reason to be concerned.

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Taken: June 1, 2016
Location: Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, British Columbia

Camera: Canon EOS-1D X
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
Focal Length: 182mm
Aperture: f/7.1
ISO: 2000
Exposure: 1/500