Watch as goofy bear tries grabbing salmon in Alaska river and tumbles over waterfall

Brown bears are known for standing defiantly at the edge of rapids in Alaska’s rivers, catching leaping salmon between their teeth.

But not all bears are good at it, and the proof is showing up on webcams in Katmai National Park & Preserve.

On Saturday, the National Park Service highlighted an example by sharing video of one bear’s epic fail.

It shows a young bear standing atop a waterfall in the Brooks River when it saw a flying salmon, opened its jaws to grab it, and slid butt-first into the river below.

The bear vanishes in the churning foam, but resurfaces a few seconds later, appearing to be unharmed.

Adding insult to embarrassment, another “bear nonchalantly takes its fishing spot,” the park service noted.

The “inspirational moment” was posted Saturday on Facebook, and has racked up 6,600 reactions and more than 230 comments. This includes a lot of people who suspect the bear was nudged over the falls by another bear standing to its left.

“If bears were people, the one on the far left would be me, giggling,” Dana Myers wrote.

“Could watch that for days,” Brian Jackson posted.

“He totally meant to do that,” Katie Peterson posted.

Multiple people also made an important observation: The bear still managed to catch a fish as it fell — so maybe he did mean to do it.

Webcams have captured countless dramatic and funny scenes in the park’s rivers, including bears fighting, getting hit in the nose with flying salmon and napping atop the falls. The live feeds and a highlights video are broadcast at Explore.org.

The antics are part of a seasonal ritual in Alaska. Salmon are trying to get upstream to spawn and brown bears are trying to put on fat for the winter, the park says.

The fishing bears are notorious for leaving the salmon half eaten, which experts say is a smart move.

“They are actually practicing good energy economics by only eating part of the fish when food is plentiful, like earlier this season. Bears high-grade, prioritizing the most fat-rich, high calorie elements of the salmon,” Katmai National Park & Preserve posted on Facebook.

“Fish carcasses may be picked up by gulls or scavenged by another bear further downstream. Their bodies also add nutrients to the water and local landscape.”