‘Bear or frog?’ Park rangers snap photo of oddly-posed bear — and people have questions

It’s not uncommon for tourists to spot a bear or two while visiting one of Alaska’s national parks.

But a photo of a weird-looking bear perching on a rock like some kind of fuzzy amphibian has people completely confused.

Park rangers at Katmai National Park and Preserve found a bear squatting on a rock in the middle of the water and snapped a photo.

When they posted the image to Facebook on Tuesday, people had a lot of questions.

“Bear or frog? Answer- Bear 94,” park rangers said. “Bears, like people, are individuals and they develop different habits and preferences. Bear 94 is known for frequently sitting on rocks.”

Some people, however, weren’t buying the park rangers’ explanation for this seemingly bizarre behavior.

The photo reminded some of a teddy bear.

“At first glance ... I thought it was a stuffed bear,” one person said on Facebook.

Others thought the bear had to be taking part in some kind of activity.

“Poor thing wants to poop with privacy and then you went and took his picture,” another person said.

“Just waiting for an unsuspecting fish to swim by,” wrote a third commenter.

Or maybe Bear 94 just really, really didn’t feel like getting wet that day.

“Looks like Bear 94 doesn’t want to get her feet wet,” someone speculated.

The truth is Bear 94 just seems to like sitting on rocks. She’s a medium-large adult female who has been seen doing this several times before, according to the National Park Service.

Park rangers said Bear 94 often sits on rocks at Brooks Falls in July. A previous photo shows her in a similar frog-like position on a rock in July 2014.

“Not to be dramatic but I would die for Bear 94,” one of the bear’s fans said.

Bear 94 is one of about 2,200 brown bears who live in Katmai National Park and Preserve. Even more bears live on the Alaska Peninsula, the National Park Service said.

“Nurturing this relationship between people and bears is the key to Katmai’s success as a bear-viewing destination,” the National Park Service said. “Rangers, scientists, and the public work together to maintaining this fragile balance. It is important that all who visit Katmai respect bears and are armed with the knowledge to stay safe in bear country.”

This story was originally published July 13, 2021 at 3:00 PM with the headline "‘Bear or frog?’ Park rangers snap photo of oddly-posed bear — and people have questions."