This form of communication also includes body language; we can sit down with other humans throughout the world and communicate our emotional states without any knowledge of each other's language. The ear movements of a horse and those of a bear have the same meaning. Basic expressions on the face of humans and bears have the same general meaning, whether it is a pleasant facial expression, a frown or pure stink-eye. The mood of the bear can also be determined by observation.

Once we understand how bears communicate emotionally and honestly, we can take a look at how and why they communicate intentionally and how they lie or bluff. Intentional communications intended to bluff, deceive or to alter another's behaviour are generated through mechanical sounds or actions. The "squared-off lip" is the switch (i.e. the lip is drawn forward and appears square; the face looks long), which is followed by any of the following actions in varying degrees of intensity: the chomping of teeth or lips, snorting or woofing (blowing air through the nose or mouth), huffing (inhaling and exhaling air rapidly), the swat and the false charge.

This behaviour has developed over the last six million years, through the evolutionary process, as ritualistic displays that help reduce the chance of attack. Behaviourist Niko Tinbergen notes that these types of displays are used to intimidate an opponent or simply to increase or maintain distance from another animal. However, this behaviour does not reflect the bear's true mood. Bears are able to turn this behaviour on and off like a light switch. It is deliberate.

Bears also use these same behaviours for intentional communication in a number of different contexts; they can be used to intimidate, to modify behaviour, or show displeasure. Applied with a wide range of intensity, these behaviours reflect the level of the bear's concern.
Moods, on the other hand, come and go very slowly. For example, once angry, it may take us a bit of time to cool off. It is, therefore, necessary to analyze the bear's mood when it is not displaying these behaviours; its intentions when it is; and then apply both to the context of the situation. This may be a tough concept to apply in the field, but a necessary and important one. It is actually a good thing when faced with a bear that bluffs or false charges as it means that you have time to analyze the bear's intentions and modify its displeasure or fear.

One reason that bears perform these ritualistic or intentional displays is to inhibit aggressiveness. Because bears occupy very extensive areas and meet face-to-face infrequently, the ritual use of chomps, huffs and false charges actually serves to deter attacks that might otherwise occur if these displays are lacking. Humans and other animals also have rituals to repress aggressiveness. For example, we may greet a strange dog with a slow approach and a kind word - while observing the response. If the response is friendly (i.e. the tail is wagging), we may choose to pet the dog. If, on the other hand, the dog growls and barrs its teeth, we would likely back away. Similarly, we might offer a smile or a handshake to strangers or people we haven't seen for a while. This gives us an opportunity to gauge the response of the individual we just met and react accordingly. Granted, the bear's rituals of snorting, chomping, huffing and false charging are not as cordial as ours, but both serve the same purpose, i.e. they inhibit potential aggressiveness and buy some time in order to gauge the situation.

Such ritualistic or intentional behaviour in bears occurs whenever two unfamiliar individuals come together. Scientists have tried for years to define this behaviour as belonging to various distinct categories, including aggressiveness, threat and even fear. In reality, it is not possible to draw one single specific meaning from this behaviour because of the wide range of circumstances under which these displays are used. These acts are context specific.

Relaxed, listening to something behind her

Displaying by slapping
the ground

False charge

Some examples of ritualized displays include the following:

In a captive situation, when a new cub is placed into a cage with other unrelated individuals, they will all display initially. But within hours, they will become friends. The display inhibits initial aggression and allows time for communication and friendship to take place.

When a female bear first meets a mate, they are both unfamiliar with each other. As a result, they are likely to both display with chomps, huffs and false charges. These displays may last for an extended period of time. At some point, however, they start making soft inviting vocalizations while still displaying, and eventually, they end up mating. Again, the display inhibits aggression, which allows for communication and mating.

When a person gets too close to a mother with young cubs, the sow will usually display, letting the person know her intent without having to attack. If the person disregards her signals, she may kick it up a notch by cocking her ears, charging and vocalizing a face-to-face "huh,huh,huh,huh". Often the sow will also use a greatly modified false charge or swat to the ground in an attempt to persuade an intruder to back away. These gestures constitute a motivational use of ritualistic displays. The intentional display is used to convey a message or prevent an attack. Bears have great success in using these displays to intentionally motivate people to drop food or knapsacks.

Dominance Testing of Male Bears

Dominant male bears often exhibit the highest level of defensive displays - sometimes their assertiveness is mistaken for offensive aggression. Younger males will also exhibit dominance testing behaviour. When male bears first leave their mothers, they have little self-confidence and are prone to be propelled into dispersal after almost any conflict. As they grow and mature they must develop a high enough level of confidence to challenge the largest and most dominant males in order to have an opportunity to mate. As a result, between the ages of 2 and 7, they will actively challenge each other, and sometimes other species, in order to test their own levels of self-confidence or dominance. This behaviour is not unlike the behaviour of some high school aged boys as their testosterone level begins to rise in puberty.

Preconditioned Attacks

A bear that is surprised while its senses are compromised (e.g. while eating) may strike out without warning. Dogs do the same thing. Normally, bears signal their intentions (through the ritualized displays noted above). In situations where bears are feeding on a carcass, they are concerned about other bears that may be attracted to the carcass by smell. If a human suddenly appears in this situation, it may trigger a preconditioned attack because the bear initially had the expectation that another bear might be attracted to the carcass.

Predatory Behaviour

So, how do you know the bear is false-charging and not attacking? The false charge is done in combination with other bluff displays, like chomping, huffing and snorting. Depending upon the situation, this usually reflects the bear's desire to delay or avoid direct confrontation.

In contrast, predators silently stalk their prey to avoid detection. Predacious attacks by bears, however, are extremely rare.