Do you enjoy rock climbing? Now imagine trying to scale a rock face without thumbs … with claws instead of fingers … when you weigh 200 kilograms (440 pounds)!

This daring duo of rare Mexican black bears (Ursus americanus eremicus) were recently spotted scaling Santa Elena Canyon, part of Big Bend National Park in Texas.

We know bears are good climbers, but scaling cliffs isn’t something we’ve seen them do before. Unlike humans and other primates, bears don’t have opposable thumbs, so they can't grasp objects like we can. So how do they climb? Their saving grace is the curved shape of the front claws, which they use to catch the edge of an object (like a crack in a rock face, or the door handle of a passing car).

Hold up your hands, and tuck your thumbs forward. Now imagine climbing up a cliff-face using only your four fingertips. Those are some seriously strong claws! Challenging as it may be, for this mother and cub rock-climbing is a necessary task. The black bears of Big Bend spend most of their time in the mountains and foothills, where they find abundant food, water, shelter, and cooler temperatures. 

Black bears usually give birth in February, so we assume the cub in the video is a mere three-months old. Not bad for such a young climber!