Mental Floss

9 Awesome Videos of Animals Discovering Cameras

By Erin McCarthy

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When animals discover unfamiliar objects in their vicinity, the results can be hilarious—or kind of scary.

1. Owls

These little owls (Athene noctua) don't quite know what to do when they discover a GoPro outside their burrow in France. After some investigation, the birds—which eat meat and, occasionally, plants and berries—try to make it a snack.

2. Pallas' Cat

Otocolobus manul is a rarely seen cat that lives in the steppes and grasslands of Central Asia. They're about the size of a domestic cat, but their long, dense fur makes them look much larger. Also interesting: Their pupils contract into circles, unlike other cats', which are vertical slits. This particular video was shot at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in Kent, England.

3. Grizzly Bear

This video, filmed on the Alaskan peninsula, is probably as close to a grizzly's mouth as you'll ever want to get.

4. Chimp

When just looking won't suffice, this chimp uses a stick to investigate a trail camera.

5. Prairie Dog

These prairie dogs, residents of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, seemed weirded out, then intrigued, by the presence of a GoPro outside their mound.

6. Fox

"I went to Round Island, Alaska, to film wildlife with the University of Alaska Anchorage," the GoPro's owner writes on his YouTube page. "My friends were photographing and filming sea lions when I spotted this fox come along. So I stupidly put my GoPro on the ground in hopes of getting a close-up. When the fox ran off, I thought I'd never see my camera again. For about 8 minutes we looked for it, then there it was!" The camera does turn on and record, but the fox ripped the face of the camera off. Thankfully, it didn't swallow anything.

7. Elephant

A curious elephant in Makgadikgadi Pans National Park picked up a trail camera and took it for a walk.

8. Squirrel

Sorry, squirrel—this camera won't love you back.

9. Cheetah

This cheetah takes just a little taste of safari guide Matthew Copham's GoPro before backing off.