The internet is obsessed with cute animals. It's even more obsessed with cute animals pretending to be humans - because a sassy, talking bodega cat or a dog in a necktie running a radio station is just plain adorable. But what happens when animals go farther than just imitating their opposable-thumbed owners? How does the web respond to animals that behave in ways we consider to be distinctly human - like, for example, walking on two legs?
Answer: people freak out, and then the video goes viral. Take a look for yourself at the footage below, recorded this week in Jefferson Township, New Jersey.
This black bear is considered a "bipedal bear" because it walks on its hind legs. While this isn't a frequent occurrence, bipedal sightings have skyrocketed in New Jersey in past weeks: on July 29, a bear broke into the kitchen of a Vernon home and flooded the counter after it accidentally hit the faucet with its paw. And on July 19, a bear was spotted (and video recorded) walking on its hind legs in nearby Oak Ridge. Bipedal bears gradually adopt their unusual mode of transportation to more easily scavenge for food, or to adapt to an injury.