Bear Grylls in dwarfed by lookalike son Marmaduke in rare family snap with wife Shara as they celebrate his 18th birthday

Bear Grylls shared a rare snap with his lookalike son Marmaduke as the teen celebrated his 18th birthday.

The adventurer, 49, took to Instagram on Wednesday to wish his middle son a happy birthday with two snaps alongside his wife of 24 years Shara Cannings Knight.

Bear, who also has sons Jesse, 20, and Huckleberry, 15, with Shara, captioned the post: ’18 today! We love you so much Marmaduke… keep shining bright! ❤️.’

But fans were quick to point out Marmaduke’s incredible height – as in both snaps he was seen towering over his parents. 

The first picture showed Marmaduke, who Bear has previously said stands at 6ft4in tall, sporting a long black coat covering a fitted waistcoat, oxford shirt, pinstripe trousers with his hair shaved into a buzz cut.

In the second snap, Marmaduke matched his father with a shirt and vest combo. 

Taking to the comment section of Bear’s post for Marmaduke’s birthday, fans also marvelled at the size of him. 

They wrote: ‘Bear Junior is turning out to be a Grizzly’; ‘I think drinking p*** somehow created a super human’; ‘Bear Grylls son actually a bear’; ‘You must look up to him a lot’;

‘What are you feeding him?!’; ‘Absolute unit get him on that rugby pitch’; ‘I think your son is the real bear here. Damn so tall.’

‘Oh wow he’s so tall. Happy 18th to him’; ‘Is he standing on something? Happy Birthday Marmaduke.’  

The Geordie Hiker Garrin French said: ‘What you been feeding hike. 18 and already looks incredibly strong.’ 

Meanwhile, skier JT Holmes added: ‘Definitely outgrew that windbreaker I gave him.’ 

The snaps hugely differed from ones shared a year earlier for Marmaduke’s 17th birthday.

In one of the pictures shared for his 17th, Marmaduke appeared just a little bit taller than his mother, showing he went through a huge growth spurt in the past year. 

While Marmaduke has largely stayed out of the limelight, his older brother Jesse is slightly more well known – even being revealed as one of Tatler’s British society bible posh boys to watch in 2022.

Appearing to be determined to outdo his TV survival expert father when it comes to daredevil stunts, Jesse shocked fans in October 2021 when he carried out a dangerous parachute jump from a bridge.

The stomach-churning difference was that the chute was attached to him by hooks pierced into the skin of his back.

A gruesome video posted on social media showed Jesse just before the jump, clenching his fists as four metal hooks were inserted into the flesh around his shoulder blades. It is not known if any anaesthetic was involved in the process.

It is not known if any anaesthetic was involved in the process. Jesse was then seen standing on the rail of a road bridge. A companion held the parachute which opened seconds after Jesse jumped.

Despite the force generated by the stunt, his piercings did not rip free and he landed safely after gliding through a valley in an unknown location.

The phenomenon is known as suspension base jumping and was created by Russian thrill-seeker Stanislav Aksenov, who joined Jesse for the jump.

It combines base jumping – parachuting from a stationary point – with Mr Aksenov’s love of piercings. Leaps often result in blood being drawn.

The hooks are removed afterwards and are said to leave small scars after the flesh has closed up. Jesse described it as ‘the most intense experience’, adding: ‘I love that feeling of falling with nothing.’

His father Bear commended his achievement but begged him not to repeat it.

He wrote: ‘You smashed it! But never again. Now you’re world record holder for youngest ever skin parachute jump, just enjoy it.’ He added: ‘No more!’