Polar bear wants to see what all the fuss is about

[LT Barclay]

3. I just finished a book that talked about the level of cognitive understanding that goes into this kind of action...

I would believe the photographer when they say the bear intentionally investigated what they were doing. This means that his mind recognized that a human mind was able to show intentional actions. It had to understand that the camera was a tool to complete those actions and wanted to understand what the device was for.
I think that was in Carl Safina's "What Animals Think and Feel", although I also just recently read "Other Minds: the Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness" by Peter Godfrey-Smith. I can never keep my readings straight.
Really great photo, thanks for posting!