Sloth Bears - Learn About These Wonderful Bears
Ranked #1,963 in Animals, #44,407 overall | Donates to Wildlife SOS
Find out about sloth bears aka Dancing Bears of India
Here you'll find facts, photos, videos and links to organizations and zoos trying to save these bears. I'll include plenty of links so you can research them to your hearts content.
Come back again as I'll be adding more information and photos as I research these bears more. I'm not called the Bearmeister for nothing! LOL
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae
Genus: Melursus
Species: M. ursinus
Binomial name: Melursus ursinus
(Shaw, 1791)
Subspecies:
Melursus ursinus inornatus Pucheran, 1855
Melursus ursinus ursinus (Shaw, 1791)
From Wikipedia
Distribution And Habitat Of Sloth Bears
Sloth Bears are found the forests, scrub jungles and grasslands and mainly in the lower elevations of India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. They like drier forest and ones with rocky outcrops.Where these bears used to be found in forests all over India, they are now found in only a few habitats (see map).
The biggest threats to Sloth Bears are: the poaching of adults for body parts -- gall bladder, bile, claws and genital organs -- used in traditional Chinese medicine; poaching of cubs to train as Dancing Bears while killing the mother when she tries to defend her cub; habitat destruction and encroachment of habitat by humans.
The only bears whose cubs ride on Mom's back
Sloth Bear Facts
Sloth bears a smaller than the Asiatic-Black-Bear (Himalayan or Moon Bear).
Features
Sloth bears have long shaggy fur. There is less fur on it's belly and the back of the legs. The fur color ranges from auburn to black and it has a light colored, elongated snout and a black nose. It's lips are bare (no hair) and like other black bears has a V-shaped creamy colored mark on its chest.
Their sickle-shaped claws are good for climbing and digging. They are 4 inches long, non-retractable and curl under. They also have the longest tail in the bear family, running 6 to 7 inches long, which is hidden in it's fur.
Size
The males are larger than the females weighing between 176 and 310 pounds. Females weigh between 120 and 209 pounds.
Diet
Sloth Bears eat ants and termites. They use their long, hard claws to dig in the mounds and their longs snouts to blow the dirt away and suck up their food.
They will also eat eggs, birds, flowers, tubers, fruits, grains and meat. Above all, they love honey and, like their cousin, the Sun Bear, they have been animal's fondness for honey has caused it to be nicknamed the Honey bear.
Range
Sloth Bears are not territorial being their only competitor for termites and ants (their favorite foods) are ant eaters.
Photo Gallery Slide Show
Some of my favorite Sloth Bear photos are by ucumari on Flickr. These are just a few. Click ucumari to see her complete sloth bear set.
The Dancing Bears Of India
In India many Sloth bears are taken from their mothers when they are just weeks old and have to witness their mothers brutally killed while trying to save their cubs.These cubs are then sold on the black market where the buyers turn them into 'Dancing Bears'. To do that, their muzzles are pierced and threaded with a coarse rope. They're training starts on hot coals with sticks hitting their feet to make them "dance". The bear lives out her life at the end of the rope. He dances for tourists and is dragged from village to village. (If you didn't cringe or shudder at this, you have no heart.)
There is hope and safety for these bears through Wildlife S.O.S. India Bear Rescue Project.
For much more information and photos about how this practice of Dancing Bears got started and what is being done to stop it, click Dancing Bears
This Lens Supports Wildlife S.O.S.
Who Founded And Operate The Only Dancing Bears Sanctuaries In India
This cub has been RESCUED by Wildlife S.O.S.
All monies raised on this lens is donated to Wildlife S.O.S. for their "India Bear Rescue" Project to rescue Dancing Bears in India.
To learn about little cubs like this one and other Dancing Bears, click Saving The Dancing Bears Of India
Cub saved from poachers by Wildlife S.O.S.
Sloth Bear Trivia
I add interesting facts about Sloth Bears here. Vote for your favorite and/or share your knowledge by adding one that is missing. Don't forget to vote for it. Thanks!
1
Sloth Bears are the only bears that carry their cubs on their backs
1 point
2
Sloth bears are the only bears native to India.
1 point
3
Their claws are 4 inches long and curved.
1 point
Rescued Dancing Bear In Wildlife Sanctuary
Fun Sloth Bear Items On Amazon
1
ASWAIL OR SLOTH BEAR 1862 Wood's Natural History
Antique Print, PART PAGE Wood engraving . from The more...0 points
3
A sleepy sloth bear takes a breather outside its cave Framed Art Print by Joseph H. Bailey, 21" x 28"
AllPosters.com is the world's #1 seller of posters more...0 points
4
SLOTH BEARS IN FOREST Antique print Wild life
Antique Print, Wood engraving from . THE ROYAL NAT more...0 points
BEAR-ing up babies
Sloth Bear Video Showcase
Informational Links For Sloth Bears
1
Wildlife S.O.S.
Wildlife S.O.S. rescues Sloth Bears aka Dancing Be more...5 points
2
International Association for Bear Research & Management :: Sloth Bear
APPEARANCE The sloth bear is small and usually bla more...2 points
3
Sloth Bears - Bears Of The World
The sloth bear is thought to have evolved early in more...2 points
4
WAZA - World Association of Zoos and Aquariums - Virtual Zoo
The Sloth Bear is a medium-sized bear, with males more...2 points
5
Sloth Bear Foundation - To protect and preserve the endangered ...
The Sloth Bear Foundation is launched to protect a more...1 point
6
The Sloth Bear In India
Information on the ecology, behavior, and conserva more...1 point
7
Animal Rescue Foundation
Many animal rescue groups operate from the owner's more...1 point
8
Animal Research
More than a million and a half species of animal h more...1 point
9
Sloth Bear Profile - National Geographic
Sloth bear profile, facts, information, photos, pi more...1 point
10
Sloth Bear - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Encyclopedia article that describes this bear, its more...0 points
11
Sloth Bear Fact Sheet - National Zoo| FONZ
Disheveled in appearance, the sloth bear leads a r more...0 points
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Sloth Bear, Sloth Bear Profile, Facts, Information, Photos ...
Get sloth bear profile, facts, information, photos more...0 points
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BBC - Science & Nature - Wildfacts - Sloth bear
Sloth bears are stocky with long, shaggy, black ha more...0 points
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Member of Save Our Bears Group -- a group of lenses devoted to help change the plight all of the 8 bear species through awareness and fund raising.The lenses show the wonderful nature of bears and many will, at the same time, shine a spotlight on the dangers bears face including: trophy hunters, gall bladder and bile farming, pollution, bear baiting, global warming, and habitat destruction.
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Click Save Our Bears (SOB) to go to the group page.
Wildlife S.O.S. Sloth Ware On CafePress
Get this adorable image of a Sloth Bear on t-shirts, hats and other apparel. To see all products with this design, click More Products
Stuffed Sloth Bear and Prints on Amazon
Meet Kartick Satyanarayan aka BEAR MAN
The story behind the Dancing Bear Rescue
For the inspiring true story of the Dancing Bear Rescue (told with photos and videos) and meet the Co-founder and Director aka BEAR MAN, click HERE.-
Kartick Satyanarayan - Champion of India's Dancing Bears
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Co-founder and Director of Wildlife S.O.S. Although Kartick's job titles may sound mundane or safe, in reality, his job is anything but. Here, you'll learn about Kartick Satyanarayan, the "Bear Man" as he's known by some in India, and his efforts t...
Here's my favorite link:
Rescued cub playing at Wildlife S.O.S. bear sanctuary
Guest Book For Your Feedback
Please use this guest book to share your thoughts about Sloth Bears and this lens. Thank you. You can also...
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naturegirl7 wrote...
Welcome to the Naturally Native Squids group. Don't forget to add your lens links to the appropriate plexos and vote for them.
Posted October 25, 2008
Lois Smith wrote
I never even heard of sloth bears before. They are adorable.
Posted August 11, 2008
chefkeem wrote...
Fabulous, fabulous - Frankie! 5*s
Welcome to www.squidoo.com/groups/squidoo-activists
Posted July 20, 2008
spiritartist wrote...
Thanks for highlighting and helping these wonderful creatures.I know your efforts will not go unrewarded. Go Frankie, go!
Posted July 09, 2008
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A woman has to know her limitations. Ha. Wouldn't that be nice? This lens is my attempt at explaining just who I am and what I'm up to and maybe justify to myself why I'm so darn busy - LOL. It's a Lensography of my Squidoo BEAR lenses and will incl...
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Cat Woman aka Frankster
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I'm known as Cat Woman off-line because I share my home with a bunch of cats; I rescue and foster cats (ferals, FIV positive, abandoned); I work with a local animal non-profit; and I sculpt big cats. Online, I'm known as Cat Woman because of my blog,...
RSS From Polar Bear News - Includes All Bear Species
This is the feed from my Polar Bear News blog. To see the whole blog click PolarBearNews.com . You can get my blog via email or RSS feed by going to the blog itself. To see a particular article, press on the headline below. I cover news related to Polar Bears and special reports on all 8 bear species. The pictures and other graphics don't show up here so visit the site to see them.
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by Frankster
Hi. I'm Frankie Kangas, aka Frankster aka Bearmeister. I love animals, especially bears and cats -- both domestics and big cats. I'm a Calvin and Hobb...
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