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Sloth Bears
(Melursus ursinus)
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, 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.
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. They live in the forests on the island of Sri Lanka, India, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh (see map).
Its preferred habitat includes a wide variety of forests types ranging from the thorn forests of northern India to the wet tropical forests further south. Widespread land clearing and deforestation continue to reduce its available habitat.
The sloth bear is a large mammal whose size and weight show high variability depending on food availability, climatic conditions, etc.
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). Female sloth bears are slightly smaller than males.
Sloth bears have a heavy body, relatively short tail, rounded ears, plantigrade feet (i.e., both heel and toe make contact with the ground when walking in a manner similar to humans). 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. Their gait is a slow, shuffling-type walk but when alarmed, they can gallop faster than a human being.
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.
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.
Sloth bears, like most wild creatures, 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.
Within the tropics, termite and ant colonies are abundant and stable food sources. 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 will also climb and shake fruit trees to obtain food. Honey is also a source of nutrition for the bears, as are ants, berries, cultivated sugarcane, corn, cultivated yams and the fleshy flowers of the Mohwa tree.
While not known to be very predatory in nature, sloth bears will eat virtually any carrion which they may discover.
Sloth bears prefer to feed during the night but will feed at any time of the day as necessary.
The size of the home range of an individual sloth bear will vary with the concentration of high energy food sources. Thus, the more concentrated the food sources, the smaller the range necessary to maintain an animal.
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 characterized as roars, howls, squeals, yelps, huffs, rattles and gurgles.
To date, there is no definitive research which details the exact nature of the home range of the sloth bear. Studies involving placing radio-equipped collars on selected bears are currently underway. It is hoped that information will be forthcoming in the near future to assist in establishing the size of the conservation areas that will be needed in order to ensure the survival of these bears in the wild.
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 normally takes place in a manner similar to members of the canine (dog) family. It 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. With the gestation period generally being between six and seven months, 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 and after a period of probably about six to ten weeks, the cubs will be born to the mother who retires to a rock cavity or shelter dug under some rocks or tree roots.
Should there not be sufficient food resources available to the female sloth bear in a particular year, it is presumed that the embryo will not implant and it is simply reabsorbed by her body.
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.
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.
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.
The cubs usually stay with their mothers for two to three years.
The survival of cubs is extremely tenuous as it is for most bear species. The exact details of the mortality rate for the cubs of the sloth bear during the first year and subsequent years is not available because of the lack of ongoing research.
The sloth bear cub survival is undoubtedly dependent on the skill of their mother initially protecting them and then teaching them the basics of what to eat; where and how to get it; and how to cope with the dangers of their environment.
The fact, however, that the cubs will stay with the mother for two to three years plus the non-predatory nature of the adult male sloth bear suggests that infant mortality may be less than in other bear species.
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.
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