A video of a young woman who covers her eyes with her hand to avoid being attacked by a black bear has stunned social media users in Mexico.

The unnamed student was reportedly resting on a bench at the premises of the Faculty of Communication Sciences, at the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon in the city of Monterrey, Mexico, when the bear advanced towards her.

But when she turned her head to the right, the young woman was stunned to see the massive animal just inches away from her face.

Utterly shocked, the student then stopped dead and covered her eyes with her palm in order to avoid possible contact and falling prey to the bear.

A video recorded by another student at the university, showed the bear stopping for a moment to look around and observe the environment.

Just moments later the bear proceeded towards the other end of the university campus in the Paseo Residencial neighbourhood, without harming the young woman.

The video prompted many different reactions after it was posted on social media networks.

User named Jose Sanchez Claudia Lopez commented: “The breath of the girl.”

Journalist Marianela Aguirre said: “Luckily the student’s calm reaction didn’t disturb the bear and prompt it to move away from the scene.”

Bear sightings are quite common in the area as the animals often sniff around in search of food, media stated.

Mexican black bear subspecies (Ursus americanus eremicus) are the only American black bears classified as endangered, according to the British non-profit organisation Bear Conservation.

Their threats mostly include increasing human population resulting in loss of habitat and illegal poaching.