Grizzly bears can become quite animated while scratching their backs against trees, implying that they derive considerable pleasure from the experience.
The behavior, which includes standing on their hind legs, also reveals their true size and extraordinary claws.
The accompanying trail-cam images are among a series of images shared to Facebook on Wednesday by David Troup of Yukon Wildlife Cams.
Troup stated: "You know the back rub feels REALLY good when the bear ends up on the ground. Yes, they do this to scent mark and communicate as well but there's no denying this must feel great for a bruin."
The images were captured August 29.
A top comment reads: "It’s like he started melting as soon as he started scratching."
Troup’s images reminded me of
my recent trip to Yellowstone National Park, where I captured cellphone footage of a black bear standing to rub its back against one tree trunk, then another.
I recall thinking, also, that while bears do this to mark the trees, there has to be a satisfaction factor involved.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Yukon grizzly bear shown in stages of pure back-scratching bliss
