The higher proportion of plant food in the diet of sloth bear indicates that it is predominantly vegetarian as indicated in some previous studies (Prater, 1971; Johnsingh, 1986; Baskaran, 1990). This bear species is medium in size, and can weigh anywhere from 120 pounds to 320 pounds, depending on age, locations, and sex. It used to be thought that sloths ate mostly cecropia leaves because they were often spotted in cecropia trees. They will also eat leafy plants, nuts, vegetables and rodents. google_color_text = "000000"; Its body is 5 to 6 feet long, and it has a thick, shaggy coat of fur, which varies in color from auburn to black. The mother bear finds a cave or rock cavity to safely give birth, and most litters contain two or three cubs. This species feeds primarily on insects, and scientists consider them insectivores. The bear is often black, but reddish animals have been seen. These bears are noisy and busy animals. This species feeds primarily on insects, and scientists consider them insectivores. While it might have a bear of an appetite, the sloth bear has more in common with an anteater than other bears. The bear has a shoulder height of 60 – 90 cm. google_ad_format = "120x600_as"; The Sloth Bear also lives in Burma and India, and the Asiatic Black Bear also lives in India, Bhutan and Burma. The Scientific Name of the Sloths is Choloepus Hoffmanni; Sloths Diet. Adult males weigh 176 to 423 pounds while females average 121 to 273 pounds in weight. The sloth bear (Melursus ursinus ) is something of an anomaly. The sloth bear is not a sloth at all. google_ad_type = "text_image"; Humans have not domesticated sloth bears in any way. All five living species are limited to the lowland tropical forests of South and Central America, where they can be found high in the forest canopy sunning, resting, or feeding on leaves. Beetles, grubs and … Termites, dug out of their cement-hard nest mounds, and some ants are year-round staples. Large, thick 3-inch (8-centimeter) claws come in handy for ripping apart termite nests in soil, old logs, or trees. Like many other bear species, humans have threatened them with extinction, primarily through to habitat loss. Sloth bears are large mammals native to India. google_ad_height = 600; Sloth bear’s shambling, slow gait and diet of termites, honey and fruit conceal an aggressive disposition and huge canines that make it one of the most dangerous predators on the Indian subcontinent. Sloth bears, like all other wildlife, are oblivious to the man-drawn boundaries that distinguish PAs from other areas. Sloth bears in the wild also eat: Ants and other insects; Bee larvae; Grubs; Crops such as sugarcane, corn and yams; Grass; Honey; Eggs; Carrion (animals they find that are already dead) Fruits; Berries; Nuts and seed pods; Flowers. The sloth bear (Melursusursinus) is a well-known myrmecophagous bear species endemic to the Indian subcontinent. As with other bear species, zookeepers provide a variety of environmental enrichment in the form of toys, puzzle feeders, and more. The leafs that make up much of the sloth’s diet are difficult to digest. Sloth bears have black fur, though some individuals have white markings on their chests. Humans have driven them to extinction in Bangladesh, though these bears also reside in southern Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Sloth Bear Diet and Feeding. The two primary distinctions between this species and other bears are their ears and lips. The bears use their long, curved claws to rip open the termite mounds and slurp up the insects. Sloth bears feed extensively on termites and have special adaptations for doing this: The naked lips are capable of protruding, and the inner pair of upper incisors are missing, which forms a gap through which termites can be sucked. This keeps bugs from crawling up the bear's nose while it eats! So there is not much competition for the bears. These bears are unique in their dietary habits, as their primary food source is insects! Average lifespan is 20 to 25 years and can weigh over 300 lbs. 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. Sloth bears live throughout regions of India, and some surrounding areas. Overall, sloth bears consumed a wide range of feed categories throughout the year and this large spectrum of feed species in the diet confirmed the nature of sloth bears as opportunistic and generalist species. Unlike the small round ears of most bear species, sloth bears have large ears. Sloth Bear Facts: The sloth bear is native to India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. These bears live in a variety of habitats with large insect populations, particularly termite mounds. Sloth bears had not consumed any large vertebrate species. In most places it is illegal to own a sloth bear as a pet. Sloth bears live mainly in tropical areas. They can walk at one month old, but will ride on mom’s back for safety and to travel quickly. Community-based incentives to replant forests and protect sloth bear habitat is important in the conservation of this species. The bears use their long, curved claws to rip open the termite mounds and slurp up the insects. They primarily eat termites and ants and have also been called "labiated bears" because of their long lower lip and palate used for sucking insects. Three-toed sloths, on the other hand, are almost entirely herbivorous (plant eaters). During non-fruiting season, insects constitute 95 percent of a sloth bear's diet. They dig into termite mounds with their sharp claws then blow through their big lips to brush the dirt away from the insects. Their diet includes fruits, leaves, insects and small lizards. An animal's natural habitat is of key importance in determining its diet and evolution, since a species' survival depends on what they can get and digest from their environment.It's not only about variety but also about quantity; a sloth must find enough food to fulfill all its nutritional requirements. The ancestors of all carnivorans were meat-eating mammals. part of the diet of sloth bears (40.5%) (Gokula and Varadharajan, 1995). No, sloth bears do not make good pets. Like their cousin the Sun Bear, Sloth Bears have a very good sense of smell and they usually hunt using their noses to sniff out food, instead of looking for it. The food items stabilization curve showed that 70 scats in summer, and 80 scats in winter, were required to depict the diet of sloth bear adequately. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Animals.NET aim to promote interest in nature and animals among children, as well as raise their awareness in conservation and environmental protection. It is also known as labiated bear. google_color_border = "FFFFFF"; Sloth Diet. They do not become fully independent until they are two or three years old. They prefer dry forests to rainforests, and will frequently forage in rocky outcrops and other areas with plenty of insects to eat. They prefer leaves from the leafy cecropia tree. The sloth bear, like all bears, is a carnivoran – a member of the order Carnivora. In terms of diet, this medium-sized bear has more in common with anteaters than other bears. //-->, Carrion (animals they find that are already dead). In fact, the sloth bear’s diet comprises almost entirely of insects. 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. Sloths are almost helpless on the ground, but are able to swim. If termites try to crawl into their nose, the bears close their nostrils to keep them out. All photos used are royalty-free, and credits are included in the Alt tag of each image. google_color_url = "008000"; Wild – Sloth Bears are insectivorous, specializing in termites. Apart from insects, sloth bears feast on a variety of fruits such as ‘Palu’ (Manilkara hexandra) , ‘Weera’ (Drypetes sepiaria), etc. While foraging, both cubs and adults are capable of swiftly climbing trees. The bears are left without places to search for food, and will forage garbage and crops in an attempt to survive. Two-toed sloths are omnivorous, meaning they can consume plants and animals. Females with cubs will be more active during the day, likely to avoid potential predators of her cubs that hunt at night. Sloth Bears are omnivores, meaning they eat both plant and animal and food. Sloth bears feed predominantly on termites and ants and employ a well-evolved method to dig them out. Also unlike other bear species, they rarely feed on mammals of any kind. Most bears are opportunistic omnivores; their diets consist of fruits, other vegetative material, and in lesser amounts, mammals, fishes, and insects. Humans have degraded the sloth bear’s habitat to the point of conflict. There are usually lots of ants and termites for the bears to eat because only one other animal eats them, the Pangolin or spiny anteater. Read on to learn about the sloth bear. This is the primary source of their daily nutrition. Sloth bears do not hibernate and are not related to sloths. The sloth bear is a small- to medium-size bear found in the lowland forests of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Then they raid the honeycombs or shake the branches until the fruit drops off. They enjoy leaves, fruits, small lizards, and insects. Instead, they remain on their mother’s back and she aggressively drives away the predator. Sloth, (suborder Phyllophaga), tree-dwelling mammal noted for its slowness of movement. Three-toed sloths eat mostly plants, making them herbivores. … Sloth bears have sharp teeth and long claws. Sloth bears (Melursus ursinas) are the only species of ursid specifically adapted to feed on insects, especially termites and ants, although they also feed on fruits when available. They will also feed on flowers, mangoes, jackfruit, sugar cane, honey, wood apples, and other fruits and seeds. Human expansion has reduced some of their former range in southwestern and northern India. The feed species richness and broader trophic niche breadth were higher during summer and winter respectively. Most of these bears are nocturnal, and most active at night. Charles Catton included the bear in his 1788 book Animals Drawn from Nature and Engraved in Aqua-tinta, describing it as an "animal of the bear-kind" and saying it was properly called the "Petre Bear". Sloth Bear Facts for Kids. Female sloth bears reproduce at different times of year based upon their location. They may eat insects, small lizards and carrion, however, their diet consists mostly of buds, tender shoots and leaves (including leaves from the cecropia tree). Because of this, the IUCN Red List labels them as Vulnerable. Diet. This species also has long, floppy lips. The cubs will ride on their mother’s back until they are about nine months old. The sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), also known as the labiated bear is a medium-sized bear species native to Indian subcontinent. Sloths are wonderful swimmers. The type of food available depends on what season it is and where the bears are living. When confronted by humans they will attack and can cause serious injury, or even death. Sloths eat leaves which are hard to digest. The sloth bear is relatively small, with long hair and shaggy coat. The Sloth bear is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent. In the wild their favourite food is termites. The head-body length of a bear is about 4.6–6.2 pounds. Sloths do not shiver when it is cold as their body has only 25% muscle. This certainly means they could easily injure or kill humans! This supports their low-energy diet of leaves and avoids detection by predatory hawks and cats that hunt by sight. Then they suck them up. Sloth Diet. They also take other insects and fruits, favorites being mangoes, figs, ebony fruits and jack-fruit. Once they mate, their gestation period is nearly nine months long. Their ears are also floppy and coated in long fur. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});