A curious Colorado bear strikes a pose for 400 selfies on a wildlife camera

Humans aren't the only species that take selfies, apparently.

A motion-capture camera in Boulder, Colo., snapped hundreds of images of a curious black bear in November, local officials say.

The city's Open Space and Mountain Parks department set up nine of the cameras to track and learn about local wildlife species while minimizing the presence of humans in sensitive habitats. One of the cameras had captured about 580 images — and about 400 of them were of the same bear.

"These pictures made us laugh, and we thought others would too," a spokesperson for Open Space and Mountain Parks said in a statement.

Most animals don't notice the cameras, officials say, which are activated by an animal stepping in front of them. They capture animals like deer, beavers and less curious black bears going about their business. But this bear was enthralled by it.

"In this instance, a bear took a special interest in one of our wildlife cameras and took the opportunity to capture hundreds of 'selfies,'" the spokesperson said.

Photoshoots are an unintended — but amusing — use of the cameras. The city is using them to map wildlife areas and "learn more about how local species use the landscape around us" and to recommend protections for natural areas. [Copyright 2023 NPR]