Melursus ursinus
Indian bear
Sloth bears have a heavy body, relatively short tail and rounded ears. Their feet are equipped with long, curved front claws which are about 7 centimeters (3 inches) long. Their claws make them good diggers and efficient tree climbers. The sloth bear is covered by a long, shaggy, black coat. The extreme length of the fur on the back of the neck and shoulders tends to give the bear the appearance of having a mane. The sloth bear also has a very distinctive white or yellowish chevron (V-shaped ) marking on its chest.
Adult sloth bears stand approximately 85 centimeters (2 3/4 feet) tall at the shoulders when on all fours and have a length of
about 140 to 170 centimeters (4 1/2 to 5 1/2 feet). Their tail is slightly longer than other bears at 16 to 18 centimeters (6 to 7
inches) long. The weight of an adult male sloth bear is in the neighbourhood of 127 to 145 kilograms (280 to 300 pounds).
The sloth bear 's head and dental structure have undergone major evolutionary adaptations. The long white muzzle has
extremely protrusible lips and nostrils which can be voluntarily closed by the bear. There are no front incisor teeth and the bony
palate within the upper interior of the mouth is hollowed out. The combination of all these changes has produced a bear which
can form a very efficient vacuum tube effect with its lips and mouth to suck up its major food source, namely termites.
Their gait is a slow, shuffling-type walk but when alarmed, they can gallop faster than a human being. If threatened, these smallish bears will stand on two legs, brandishing their clawed forepaws as weapons. They have been known to attack people when scared or startled They have very poor eye sight and their sense of smell is not that keen either.
Sloth bears, more than any of the other bear species, appear to like the company of other bears within its territory. The bears
readily communicate with one another using facial expressions and a diverse variety of sounds chracterized as roars, howls,
squeals, yelps, huffs, rattles and gurgles.
Gender differences:
Female sloth bears are slightly smaller than males.
Habitat:
The sloth bear is found in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. They prefers grasslands and forested area at predominantly lower altitudes and are more often found in drier forests and areas with rock outcroppings.
Diet:
Sloth bears seek foods which will return the highest nutritional value for the least expenditure of energy. Seasonal availability and geographic location are the biggest factors determining the primary food sources of sloth bears. When trees are in fruit, usually during the monsoon season, sloth bears eat mango, fig, ebony, and other fruits, and also on some flowers. However, ants and termites, dug out of their cement-hard nest mounds, are a year-round staple. Also, sloth bears climb trees and knock down honeycombs, later collecting the sweet bounty on the forest floor. Beetles, grubs, ants, and other insects round out their diet. During food shortages, sloth bears will eat carrion. They sometimes raid farm crops.
Sloth bears have adapted to become specialized termite hunters. The bears will dig into the hard tall pillars where the termites live. They then insert their muzzle to suck up the termites and their larvae. The noise made by this activity is very loud and can be heard up to 180 meters (200 yards) away.
Sloth bears prefer to feed during the night but will feed at any time of the day as necessary.
Reproduction:
In Sri Lanka, sloth bears have been observed mating at all times of the year while in India, mating usually takes place between
June and July. Breeding is described as a boisterous occasion with the bears engaging in hugging-like behaviour and mock fighting.
The cubs are usually born sometime between late December and early January to coincide with the dry season. The gestation period is between 205 - 215 days there is strong speculation that sloth bears may undergo what has been called delayed implementation. Through the process of delayed implementation, the fertilized ovum divides a few times and then floats free within the uterus for several months with its development arrested. The embryo will then attach itself to the uterine wall.
The number of cubs born is usually two and occasionally three. Again, climate and food supply will be important determinants
to the size of the litter. . Cubs are born in an underground den, and stay there for several months At birth, the cubs are blind and very tiny. They weigh from 300 to 500 grams (11 to 18 ounces). Helpless at birth, the cubs develop quickly and within a month or shortly thereafter, they are able to forage with their mother.
Sloth bear mothers, as they forage, can often be seen carrying the young cubs on their backs. If there is more than one cub,
they will establish permanent riding positions such that one cub will always take a position on the shoulders while the other will
ride near the rump. This behaviour has been observed until the cubs are quite large, approximating a third of their mother's size.
The cubs usually stay with their mothers for two to three years.
Adult male sloth bears also appear to be allowed around young cubs. The males appear to be quite gentle and don't display the predatory instincts toward cubs seen in other bears species.
It is not known how long sloth bears live in the wild, but these bears have lived up to 40 years in zoos.
Other:
Predators: The Sloth Bear is hunted by leopards, tigers, wolves, and humans. Natural predators such as wild dogs, tigers and leopards also take a toll on juveniles.The Sloth Bear is hunted by humans because their gallbladders are used for medicine in Asia. It is thought that the sloth bear is in steady decline with somewhere between 7,000 to 10,000 bears still living in the wild.
The sloth bear is listed as vulnerable on the World Conservation Union's (IUCN's) Red List of Threatened Animals.
There is no recorded observations of sloth bears hibernating due to the normal availability of food sources throughout the year.
The sloth bear does appears to enter a period of time late in the year when it is somewhat lethargic.
What little is known about the sloth bear in the wild has often been learned from field studies done from the back of elephants.
Why is it called a sloth bear ?
In the late 1700's, the first sloth bear pelts were sent from India to Britain. Dr. George Shaw from the British Museum originally classed them as belonging to the family of sloths (Pilosa), calling them bear sloths. It was not until 1810, when a live sloth bear was shipped to Paris, that the classification error was corrected and the name reversed to sloth bear (Ursidae family)
Have some fun and games with bears :
http://www.bearden.org/fungames.html
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