Meet the black bear who took 400 selfies

A special black bear recently discovered a wildlife camera set up by City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP), which allowed it to take hundreds of selfies.

“Of the 580 photos taken [on the camera]about 400 were bear selfies,” OSMP shared on Twitter and Facebook this week, along with a smiling emoji and several selfies.

There are nine cameras spread across 46,000 acres of OSMP’s land system. The aim is for the cameras to show how animals use the land so the department can recommend measures to protect sensitive habitats.

Another benefit of the cameras is that they minimize the need for people to roam those areas. They take pictures when a beast steps in front of them and can also take 10-30 second videos.

Images: City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP)

Luckily for our friend caught on camera outside of Boulder, Colorado, the American black bear is listed as a “Least Concern” species by the IUCN. The number is rising.

Surprisingly, this wasn’t the only positive bear news this week. NASA gifted us another jewel depicting a bear that is literally out of this world. The image below was taken by a satellite orbiting Mars, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. It looks very much like a bear’s face etched on the surface of the planet.

In reality, the eyes are two craters, according to the University of Arizona, which powers a powerful camera on the satellite. The circle defining the face could have come from another crater that has been buried, according to a Jan. 25 blog post from the university. The snout is probably a collapsed mound – perhaps an opening with lava or mud flows around it.

Whatever your origin, Martian, we salute you and your earthbound brethren.