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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 aggressive, but it will defend itself against tigers, leopards, and other bears by standing on its back legs and using its teeth and claws.
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 Sri Lanka sloth bear has much shorter hair than Indian sloth bear. Sloth bears have small ears, and they are not good at hearing nor seeing. However, like other bears, they have an excellent sense of smell. Male sloth bears can grow to be over 6 feet in length, measure 3 feet at the shoulders when standing on all four, and weigh from to pounds.
Females are approximately 67 percent the size and weight of males. The sloth bear's front legs are longer than its hind legs. Their front paws are turned inward and their toes are webbed together with the padding on the bottom of their paws.
They have long, curved claws that are up to 3 inches long. All of these features are great assets when digging for ants and termites. At early an age sloth bears lose their 2 front upper incisors, creating a very useful gap through which they can suck insects.
To add to their sucking power, they have a long tongue, a concave palate, and can extend their lips beyond their nose. In addition, they are capable of closing their nostrils at will to prevent inhaling dirt when sucking up insects. The sloth bear makes so much noise sucking up insects that it can be heard up to yards away.
Most sloth bears will run away when hearing and or smelling people. However, they will often become so focused on what they are doing that they don't notice the presence of others until they are encountered. When they feel threatened, they will often try to bluff their enemy by charging them, then stopping short, standing on their hind legs, roaring, and displaying their enormous claws. If this doesn't work, they will turn and run.
Though they are not aggressive by nature, female sloth bears can be extremely vicious in protecting their young. Sloth bears can usually defend themselves quite well with their claws. Even though they are excellent climbers, they do not climb trees to escape danger. This is because some of its predators, such as the leopard, can climb trees just as well. Like other bears, sloth bears are solitary animals except during breeding season and while females are raising their offspring.
They are also nocturnal creatures in general. However, a female sloth bear with her offspring may often be seen at various times of the day to avoid nocturnal predators.
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