Sloth Bear

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

The Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus) is a nocturnal bear with shaggy fur. It inhabits the lowland forests of India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. There have also been some sightings in Bhutan. The Sloth Bear is the only bear species classified in genus Melursus.

Its body is covered in long fur which can range from auburn to black, and has a whitish snout and black nose. The snout is long, with bare lips and lacking in upper incisors. These are adaptations for its insect-based diet. The front feet are turned inwards and have non-retractable, curved ivory claws that are adapted for digging. It has a distinctive "V" shaped white mark on the chest. The males are larger than the females; males can reach a height of 6 feet (1.8 m) and a weight of 300 pounds (140 kg).

The Sloth Bear does not move as slowly as a sloth, and can easily out run 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. Its pugmarks are also very similar to a human footprint.

[edit] Diet

It primarily eats ants and termites. If needed, it will also eat honey, eggs, birds, flowers, tubers, fruits, grains and meat.

A wild Sloth Bear atop a tree in Sri Lanka

[edit] Habitat

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

[edit] Conservation

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 towards any threats towards the young. Adults defend themselves quite well with their claws. Humans hunt it primarily for its gall bladder, which is valued in eastern medicine. The Sloth Bear is also used for entertainment, known in circuses as a "dancing bear". They can commonly be seen on the streets of India, leashed by Gypsies and forced to dance for money, often from tourists.

[edit] Further reading

• ARKive - images and movies of the sloth bear (Melursus ursinus)
• Monkey Diet - Bears Eat Monkey in Dutch Zoo
• Wildlife SOS - Indian Sloth Bear Rescue Project - Who established the First and Only Bear Rescue Facility In India.

[edit] References

• 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)