SLOTH BEAR (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: The sloth bear, one of the eight ursid species and among the most dangerous wild animals in the Indian subcontinent, has evolved to be highly aggressive towards humans due to its historical interactions with now-extinct predators and current Bengal tigers.

Sloth Bear

• About: Forest-dwelling bear that inhabits tropical or subtropical regions of India and Sri Lanka.  Bengal tigers (P. t. tigris), the subspecies of the Indian subcontinent, may be twice the size and weight of a sloth bear, and represent a considerable threat. In some tiger parks in India, up to 2% of tiger scats include sloth bear remains.

o Also known as the: Labiated bear because of its long lower lip and palate used for sucking up insects.

• Scientific name: Melursus ursinus
• Nature: Sloth bear mostly nocturnal. 
• Hibernate: No hibernate.
• The world’s eight bear species: The others include the brown bear, American black bear, Asiatic black bear, sun bear, polar bear, spectacled bear and the giant panda.
• Food and diet:

o The bears are omnivorous with termites and ants the main constituents of their diet. 

o The bears use their claws to open the insects’ mounds and nests, sucking them up through a gap in their front teeth.  

o They are also very fond of honey, hence their alternative name of “honey bear”.

• Longevity: 20 to 25 years.
• Status:

o IUCN Red List: Vulnerable, Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule 1, CITES listing: Appendix I

• Threat: Habitat loss and degradation.