Sloth Bear Facts
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Their name derives from their appearance. Shaggy coats, early tooth loss and large claws reminded early Western explorers of the South American sloth.
When later placed within a separate bear genus (Melursus), Western texts such as The standard natural history, 1884, introduced the species using a variety of less than flattering terms.
"Among the true bears it is perhaps the most uncouth of the entire family. In fact, it took its place among them as a very doubtful character.
Melursus at an early age loses the front teeth or incisors, and the cavities so made soon close up, as if no teeth had ever been there. As this smooth and toothless condition of the front of the mouth is true even of very young individuals, naturalists were deceived, and jumping to a conclusion, regarded the animal as an Indian sloth. One even wrote it down as the "Anonymous Animal."
But it was not long left nameless, for the systematists, in learned gravity soon dubbed it Bradypus pentadactylus, and Bradypus ursinus, the names meaning respectively the five-fingered sloth, and the ursine or bear-sloth."
In modern times we know them to be mostly non-aggressive, nocturnal animals. With a long history, that remains to this day, their label as the Dancing Bears of India, reminds us that like most bear species, they bear the burden of being a source of human entertainment.
Males are larger than females and can grow about six feet long and weight three hundred pounds.
Insects are a staple of their diet, however, they eat a variety of fruits, plants and other food stuffs in their territory.
Their nick name, the honey bear, refers to their sweet tooth. Stories regarding their ability to withstand hoards of stinging bees in pursuit of another favorite food, are legendary.
Habitat destruction and poaching, two factors influencing population trends, lead to their current IUCN status as a vulnerable species.
© 2004-2010 Patricia A. Michaels.