This is a sloth bear. Their scientific name is Melursus Urinus. They are fluffy and classed as vulnerable by IUCN.
Sloth bears are a medium sized bear, males weighing in at 105 Kg and females at 145 Kg. As you can see in the image, they have black fur and pale parts on their chest and muzzle. A key feature of them is their long lips, the lower lips being able to stretch up over their nose. This is because they lack upper incisors as they eat ants and inescts. Their paws are big with blunt claws to help with searching for food. The sloth bear is the only bear to have fluffy ears.
The sloth bear appears in many places around Asia from India to Sri Lanka. They are regionally extinct in Bangladesh. Studies show that they can live in a wide range to habitat conditions but mainly stay in tropical forests and grassland.
Male sloth bears have been noted to be gentle with cubs. Mating season varies based on location, in some places it can last all year but in other locations it lasts for only a few months. A female is called a sow. The gestation period for a sow is 210 days. Cubs are born blind but tend to open their eyes after four weeks.
That's all for this week. Life is getting quite busy now but I hope you enjoyed hearing and learning about sloth bears.
-Dari
Comments
Post a Comment