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Sloth Bear
Sloth Bear in captivity at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Washington, DC.
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Ursidae Genus: Melursus Species: M. ursinus
Binomial name
Melursus ursinus (Shaw, 1791)
Subspecies
Melursus ursinus inornatus Melursus ursinus ursinus
Synonyms
Melursus lybius Meyer, 1793 Bradypus ursinus Shaw, 1791

The Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus) is a nocturnal bear, inhabiting the lowland forests of India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The Sloth Bear is the only bear species classified in genus Melursus.^[1]

Contents 1 Description 2 Name 3 Diet 4 Habitat 5 Conservation 5.1 Entertainment and concerns 6 In popular culture 7 Further reading 8 References 9 External links

The body is 150–190 cm long, covered in long, shaggy fur, ranging from auburn to black, with a distinctive "V"-shaped white mark on the chest, a whitish snout and black nose. The snout is long with bare lips and a lack of upper incisors, adaptations for its insect-based diet. The front feet are turned inwards and have non-retractable, curved ivory claws that are adapted for digging. The males, weighing 80–140 kg, are larger than the females, which weigh only 55–95 kg.^[1] Its pugmarks are very similar to a human footprint.

Female Sloth Bears typically give birth to two cubs after a seven month gestation, although singleton and triplet births are also known. The cubs remain in the den for two to three months, and continue to accompany the mother for at least a further two years.^[2]

Because of their warm native habitat, Sloth Bears do not become dormant through the winter, as some more northerly species do.

The Sloth Bear does not move as slowly as a sloth, and can easily outrun a human. One theory has it that early explorers saw these bears lying upside down in trees and gave them their common name for the similarity to the way a sloth hangs in trees. Another claims that the Sloth Bear gets its name because its normal walk is more of a meandering shuffle. The shaggy coat, light-coloured muzzle and long claws are common qualities of a sloth.

The Sloth Bear primarily eats ants and termites, breaking into termite mounds with large powerful claws and eating the occupants. It may also eat honey, eggs, birds, flowers, tubers, fruits, grains and meat.

The animal's fondness for honey has caused it to be nicknamed the Honey bear (a nickname also given to the sun bear); it has been known to scale the occasional tree to knock down a bee honeycomb, which it will then enjoy on the ground below.^[3]

It is found in a variety of habitats - from dry grassland to evergreen forests - but has a preference for tropical deciduous forests. Within that category, the Sloth Bear prefers dry deciduous forests and rocky outcrops to wet deciduous forests.

Poaching and loss of this habitat and fragmentation of available habitat are the primary threats to the survival of the Sloth Bear on the Indian subcontinent. Predators such as the Leopard, wolves, and the Tiger may attempt to prey on the young, though the female Sloth Bear with young is exceptionally vicious regarding any threats to her young. Adults defend themselves quite well with their claws. Humans hunt the Sloth Bear primarily for its gall bladder, which is valued in eastern medicine. The Sloth Bear's current conservation status is Vulnerable.^[4]

The Sloth Bear is also known in circuses as a "dancing bear".^[5]

• In the first episode of season 2 of wildboyz, Steve-O fought a Sloth Bear.

• The Integrated Sloth Bear Conservation and Welfare Project (ISBCW) was initiated by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in partnership with the World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA) in 2005.

• Wildlife Times: Daroji Bear Sanctuary - A trip report to a premier sloth bear territory(Melursus ursinus)

• ARKive - images and movies of the sloth bear (Melursus ursinus)

• Bears Eat Monkey in Dutch Zoo

1. ^ ^{a b} BearPlanet: Sloth Bear
2. ^ Bunnell, Fred (1984). in Macdonald, D.: The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File, 96. ISBN 0-87196-871-1. 
3. ^ National Geographic: Sloth Bear
4. ^ Bear Specialist Group (1996). Melursus ursinus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 08 May 2006. Listed as Vulnerable (VU A2cd, C1+2a v2.3)
5. ^ SmithsonianMagazine.com "Sloth Bears: They Eat Ants, but Take on Tigers"

• Field Trip Earth - Field Trip Earth is a conservation education website operated by the North Carolina Zoological Society.