Sloth bear

The sloth bear is clumsy, but can run faster than a human. Its clumsy appearance is misleading — this bear can run faster than a human.
The sloth bear is the only bear specialised on insects: it sucks termites through a gap in its teeth.
Sloth bears attack humans and can be deadly. Between April 1989 and March 1994, 735 attacks were recorded, 48 of which were fatal.
The sloth bear lacks two central upper incisors, creating a passage in its lips. This passage continues into a "tube" formed by elongated, movable lips.
The sloth bear differs greatly in appearance and lifestyle from true bears (Ursus), and is classified in a separate genus. It has a long, movable snout with bare, strongly protruding lips forming a sort of trunk-like structure.
The sloth bear got its nickname "sloth bear" due to its distinctive appearance. Its scientific name is Melursus ursinus.
The sloth bear got its name Melursus because of its love for honey. From March to June, when fruits ripen, honey can make up to 50% of its diet.
Cubs remain on their mother’s back even after reaching maturity. When they no longer fit together, they take turns sitting on her back or running alongside her.
Only a large tiger can deal with an adult sloth bear. Sloth bears are attacked only by large predators, such as tigers and leopards.
Produces loud sucking sounds while feeding, audible 100 m away.

Age

Sloth bears have a typical lifespan of from 20 to 30 years, with a maximum recorded lifespan of 33 years and 4 months, and a theoretical lifespan ranging from 16 years and 8 months to 33 years and 4 months. The species reaches sexual maturity from 3 to 5 years of age. The young’s eyes open from 4 weeks to 1 month and 2 weeks after birth. The embryo develops inside the mother for approximately seven months. A cub is born very small, drinks its mother's milk, and lives with her during a period lasting from 1 day to 2 years. The adult stage begins when the species actively searches for food, climbs trees, and can produce offspring, and lasts from 3 to 40 years.

Phenotype

The cub has soft, dark-colored fur; adult sloth bears possess long, coarse black fur that protects them from insect bites, and frequently have a light V-shaped spot on their chest. The species has long, curved claws that aid in destroying termite mounds and climbing trees. An adult’s muzzle is long with very flexible lips forming a tube for sucking insects; the tongue is also long and flexible, assisting in retrieving insects from narrow passages.

Physiology

The body height of a sloth bear ranges from 60 centimeters to 0.9 meters, and its body length varies from 1.2 to 1.9 meters; the species’ mass is between 103.41 and 104.33 kilograms. Young bears, or cubs, have a body mass of 400 grams to 25 kilograms and a body length of 25 centimeters to 0.9 meters. Adult individuals weigh from 80 to 145 kilograms and measure 1.4 to 1.9 meters in length.

Habitat

Sloth bears inhabit areas up to 2 kilometers above sea level and are found in several biomes, including temperate mixed forests with warm summers and many oak, birch, and maple trees; tropical dry forests characterized by heat and a dry season with deciduous trees; tropical savannas with uneven rainfall and abundant grass and trees; and tropical moist forests that are consistently hot and humid with large trees and vines. The species occupies terrestrial landscapes and forested areas, experiencing climates such as hot steppes with very hot, dry summers and abundant grass, extremely arid conditions with rare rainfall, summers with almost no rain but more precipitation in winter, winters with little precipitation and more rain in summer, and hot conditions with almost no rainfall during the summer months but rain in winter.

Shelter

Sloth bears are found in forests or on hillsides and utilize dens for shelter. These dens serve multiple purposes, including reproduction, rest, and protection from the sun.

Geography

The sloth bear occupies the Indomalaya biogeographical realm and is found in several ecosystems, including lowland Chao Phraya moist deciduous forests, northwest Ghats moist deciduous forests, southwest Ghats montane rainforests, western Java rainforests, and Tonle Sap-Mekong peat swamp forests.

Feeding

The sloth bear primarily feeds on ants and termites, breaking open their nests with its forepaws and then sucking in the insects through a tube formed by its long lips and tongue; it also consumes fruits, flowers, and occasionally small animals. The species employs raids on insect nests to obtain food, and its diet includes ants, beetles, flies, moths, butterflies, honey, flowers, nectar, and fruit. The young sloth bear feeds on milk. Daily food requirements range from 1.5 kilograms to 5 kilograms. The animal is eaten in some cultures, but it is not considered halal or kosher.

Reproduction

The sloth bear is a terrestrial species that lives and develops on land, away from bodies of water, and its young develop in nests built on or near the ground, sometimes hidden within underground burrows where only the mother displays parental care. Gestation lasts 6 months and 3 weeks, and the female gives birth to one or two cubs, which are born live on land. The offspring remain with their mother for two years, learning from her how to find food. A litter has 1–2 young, and the female carries them for about seven months. Sloth bears reach maturity between 3 and 5 years of age, and the interval between reproduction periods is 2 to 3 years. Reproduction always occurs through homogamy, with fertilization and without generational change.