1. A Sloth Of Bears
2. A Sloth Of Bears Meaning
3. Name For A Group Of Bears

Sloth bears have shaggy, dusty-black coats; pale, short-haired muzzles; and long, curved claws which they use to excavate termites and ants. A cream-colored “V” or “Y” shape usually marks their chests. Their shaggy fur does not have an undercoat, so it keeps them relatively cool in their native, warm climate and protects them from tropical insects. Sloth bears' nostrils can close completely, protecting the animals from dust or insects when raiding termite nests or beehives. They have a keen sense of smell, as well as near-sight similar to that of humans.

Adult sloth bears are missing their top two front teeth (incisors), which enables them to suck up termites and other insects with ease. Due to their diet of insects and fruit, their premolars and molars are smaller than those of other bears, but they have large canines to use for defense. It is thought that their feet are turned inward to increase digging efficiency.

A Sloth Of Bears

The first valid scientific description of this species was by George Shaw in 1791. He called it Ursine bradypus, ursine meaning bearlike and bradypus meaning slow foot. Bradypus is also the genus of three species of sloth. At the time, Shaw thought that the bear was related to a sloth. Time and additional specimens eventually revealed the true taxonomic relationships, but the confusing common name remains.

Sloth Bear Facts and Information Ursus ursinus – Melursus ursinus Sloth Bear Description. The Sloth Bear is named due to the way it looks like a Sloth, but it has more in common with bears than this other type of animal. Sloth bear, (Melursus ursinus), also called honey bear, Hindi bhalu, forest-dwelling member of the family Ursidae that inhabits tropical or subtropical regions of India and Sri Lanka. Named for its slow-moving habits, the sloth bear has poor senses of sight and hearing but has a good sense of smell. Sloth bears are a type of bear native to India. These bears are not related to sloths. They are not slow, either. In fact, sloth bears move very quickly and even run faster than humans.

Sloth bears grow 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 2 meters) long, stand 2 to 3 feet (0.5 to 1 meters) high at the shoulder, and weigh, on average, 200 to 300 pounds (90 to 140 kilograms).

Sloth bears live in a variety of dry and moist forests and in some tall grasslands, where boulders, scattered shrubs and trees provide shelter. Their range includes India, Sri Lanka and southern Nepal. Historically, sloth bears have also been reported in Bangladesh and Bhutan, but it is unclear whether sloth bears are still present in the wild of these countries.They are currently considered extirpated, or no longer present, in Bangladesh and may also be absent from Bhutan.

Sloth bears are noisy, busy animals. They grunt and snort as they pull down branches to get fruit, dig for termites and ants, or snuffle under debris for grubs and beetles.

If threatened, they will stand on two legs, brandishing their clawed forepaws as weapons. Their large canines are used for defense against tigers. Other potential predators include jackals, wild dogs, wolves, leopards and other Asian bear species.

As animals who consume termites and ants, sloth bears are considered myrmecophagous. When trees are in fruit, usually during the monsoon season, sloth bears dine on mango, fig, ebony and other fruits, as well as on flowers.

Termites, dug out of their cement-hard nest mounds, and some ants are year-round staples. During non-fruiting season, insects constitute 95 percent of a sloth bear's diet. Sloth bears climb trees and knock down honeycombs, later collecting the honey from the forest floor. Beetles, grubs and other insects round out their diet. During food shortages, sloth bears will eat carrion. They also sometimes raid farm crops.

The Smithsonian's National Zoo's sloth bears eat a dry-food mixture designed for omnivores, plus fruits and vegetables, such as apples, sweet potatoes and grapes. At the Zoo, they are offered food at least three times daily: a large morning meal, a large evening meal and one or more snacks throughout the day. They also receive treats as enrichment, such as mealworms, crickets, nuts, coconut and honey.

In India, sloth bears breed in late spring to early summer. In Sri Lanka, however, there is no seasonality to sloth bear breeding. Mating occurs over several days to weeks and is very noisy.

While embryonic development takes approximately two months, gestation lasts four to seven months due to delayed implantation. In the weeks to months before a birth, the female may exhibit 'denning' behavior. She digs a den or prepares space in a cave. She may become less interactive, or easily agitated, disinterested in food, defend the cubbing area and sleep more. These behaviors, correlated with hormonal changes, may occur even if the bear is experiencing a pseudopregnancy.

In the North American zoo population, births generally occur in late December to early January. One or two cubs (rarely three) are born in each litter in an underground den. They are born weighing about 1 pound (2 kilograms), open their eyes at about 2 to 3 weeks old and start to 'walk' around 4 weeks. Cubs will nurse for about a year. After emerging from the den at around 9 to 12 weeks, cubs stay with their mother for approximately two to three years before heading off on their own --a long time in comparison to other bears. Sloth bears are the only bears to routinely carry their young on their backs as a primary mode of transportation; the cub clings to the extra shag of fur ('saddle') on the mother's back until it is 6 to 9 months old. Many other animals that primarily consume ants also carry their young on their backs.

Sloth bears are sexually mature at age 3, but are rarely mothers until later in life. They breed once every three years, more often if they have not given birth or have lost their cubs. Sloth bears exhibit low fecundity and high infant mortality. Fifty-three percent of males and 38 percent of females die as cubs.

A Sloth Of Bears Meaning

These bears adapt their sleep-wake cycle to their environment and may be on a nocturnal, diurnal or crepuscular schedule depending on how many other bears, people or predators share their habitat. In protected areas, for example, sloth bears may be more active during the day. Sloth bears are typically active for about eight to 14 hours each day, and they do not hibernate. At the Zoo, they tend to keep a crepuscular schedule, meaning they are active in both the morning and evening but sleep midday and overnight.

Name For A Group Of Bears

• CLASS: Mammalia (Mammals)
• ORDER: Carnivora
• FAMILY: Ursidae
• GENUS: Ursus
• SPECIES:ursinus
• SUBSPECIES: Indian sloth bear Ursus ursinus ursinus, Sri Lankan sloth bear Ursus ursinus inornatus

It's a what? Sloth bears are a bit misleading by name. They are not related to sloths, and they are not slow moving. In fact, they’re agile bears that can run faster than a human and will attack if surprised. It was a European zoologist, George Shaw, who named the sloth bear for its long, thick claws and unusual teeth. He thought that the bear was related to the tree sloth due to these features. Sloth bears sometimes hang upside down on tree branches, much like a tree sloth.

The sloth bear is a bit messy in appearance. It has long, rough, unruly hair around its ears, shoulders, and neck that is cinnamon to dark brown in color. The pale muzzle and a flexible nose sniff out interesting smells. The sloth bear often has a white patch of fur on its chest in the shape of a Y, O, or U. With a stocky body and powerful legs, this medium-size bear is able to climb trees. The sloth bear cannot pull in its claws like a cat's, so it looks a bit awkward when walking.

Bears extraordinaire: Sloth bears adapt well to many different habitats. They live in the hot, dry grasslands and forests of South Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Does having a thick and shaggy coat seem odd for this environment? That coat protects them from being bitten by their favorite food—termites! It also gives sloth bear cubs something to grip when their mothers carry them on their backs.

These bears are unusual because they do not hibernate like some bears. They often sleep in caves and near rivers when available. Sloth bears tend to be nocturnal when living around humans. But without human disturbance nearby, they are often active during the day.

The sloth bear has a nose for sniffing out food but it cannot see or hear as well as other bears. It is not an aggressive animal. But the bear will defend itself against tigers, leopards, and other bears by standing on its back legs and using its teeth and claws.

While it might have a “bear” of an appetite, the sloth bear has more in common with an anteater than other bears. Even though it is omnivorous and dines on fruit when available, the sloth bear also eats termites and ants. As an adaptation for this creepy-crawly diet, the bear has few hairs on its nose and can open and close its nostrils as needed. This keeps bugs from crawling up the bear's nose while it eats!

Large, thick 3-inch (8-centimeter) claws come in handy for ripping apart termite nests in soil, old logs, or trees. This is a noisy activity. In fact, sloth bears are well known for being noisy bears, especially while they eat. A large gap between the upper teeth makes the perfect space for sucking up termites. Like vacuum cleaners, the bears' lips and tongue create a powerful suction and loud slurping, sucking sounds. They also eat honey, sugarcane, flowers, eggs, grubs, and carrion.

The courtship of sloth bears is a brief encounter. Living as a solitary animal most of the time, the sloth bear makes an exception during the breeding season, May through July. The female then stays in a den for six to seven months until she gives birth, usually to two cubs. The male does not help raise the cubs.

Remember the sloth bear’s long coat? It helps a mother sloth bear as she carries her young on her back. The long hair is easier for her cubs to grip, and they can hold on better while Mom looks for food. Riding on the mother’s back is thought to provide the cubs protection from predators. As they get larger, the cubs spend more time on the ground. They nurse for about a year and stay with their mother until they are 1.5 to 2.5 years old.

Sloth bears aren’t very vocal, but can make an impressive roar if needed for defense. A mother with a cub clinging to her back was observed scaring off not one but two tigers with her roar! San Diego Zoo keepers say one of our sloth bears, Kenny, used to blow “raspberries” at them. It seemed to be his way of being social. If a keeper blew Kenny a raspberry, he’d blow one right back!

Through the years the San Diego Zoo has had two subspecies of sloth bear. The first Zoo residents were Indian sloth bears, which arrived in 1940. In 1979, we became the only zoo in North America to house Sri Lankan sloth bears, received on exchange from the National Zoo of Sri Lanka. We welcomed the first cub of this subspecies to be born and raised in the Western Hemisphere in 1985. We held a name-the-bear contest; it received over 14,000 entries! The winning name was Deva, a Sri Lankan name that means Indian princess.

Currently, the San Diego Zoo has two sloth bear siblings that live along Center Street.

Slippery slope: Like the other Asian bear species, we know little about sloth bear behavior and ecology. Habitat encroachment is the greatest threat to sloth bears. But illegal hunting and capture still threaten wild sloth bears. The International Bear Association works to promote sloth bear conservation in the local communities.

Currently, the sloth bear remains vulnerable. This, in large part, is due to poaching. Some people believe that sloth bear gall bladders can cure certain illnesses, which is not true. Habitat destruction also plays a major role in the decline of sloth bears in Asia.

Sloth bears kill or maim more people per year than any other type of bear. This is largely due to the fact that they live in an area where there are lots of people. Some people go out of their way to find and kill the innocent bears. This is unfortunate, because sloth bears are shy and would rather run away from human encounters. They are aggressive only when startled or confronted. Even though a hunting ban is in place, sloth bear cubs are still captured and forced to 'dance' for audiences. Thanks to the tireless efforts of some nature organizations within India, this is significantly less common than it used to be.

Sloth bears play an important role in their habitats as seed dispersers. San Diego Zoo Global started studying sloth bears to learn more about their behavior and needs. We are partners with India’s Wildlife SOS sloth bear rescue facility, funding research and education programs.

This unique bear is worth saving! Every measure you take is one small step for the sloth bear but a big step toward saving the planet and the animals that inhabit it.

You can help us bring sloth bears and other species back from the brink by supporting the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy. Together we can save and protect wildlife around the globe.