Native of North America, with populations predominantly in Canada and America (with a few in Mexico), the black bear is the most highly populated bear in the world, which makes this story we are about to share that much more magical. Despite having huge populations numbers, black bear sows (Momma Bears) rarely give birth to more than three cubs at once, and almost never give birth to five; so when bear quints are born, it’s a special occasion. However, it’s the kind of special occasion that no one gets to commemorate because bears are so hard to snap photos of, especially when there’s six of them; getting all six would be quite the chore. However, it’s a chore that one photographer was willing to undertake, and in 2007 he did just that. Upon hearing that five baby bears had just come into the world in the woods of Maine, the dedicated artist spent six weeks studying the group and waiting for an opportunity to document all six of them. Upon getting the above photo, which is easily one of the most adorable family photos in history, the photographer eased off his bear watching for fear that the bears would become too friendly with people and get themselves in trouble. A year later though, the same man set out to once again capture the family unit together, and with what can only be described as magical timing, he did it. The odds of bear quints being born are slim, the odds of getting a photo of them all together are even slimmer, and the odds of getting them all together again is nothing short of a miracle. So enjoy the photo of the bear family as adults, and then go and enjoy some more pictures of cute bear cubs just ’cause!
