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Sloth Bear Facts & Worksheets

The Sloth Bear is named for its sluggish habits. It has weak vision and hearing but a keen sense of smell. Its large bottom lip and mouth, used to eat insects, have earned it the nickname “labiated bear.”

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The sloth bear, so named for its sluggish habits, has poor vision and hearing but a keen sense of smell. Its large bottom lip and mouth, used to eat insects, have earned it the nickname “labiated bear.” They are considered vulnerable mainly because of habitat loss and degradation.

See the fact file below for more information on Sloth Bear, or you can download our 33-page Sloth Bear worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Background of Sloth Bear

  • A myrmecophagous bear species indigenous to the Indian subcontinent is the sloth bear. It eats fruits, ants, and termites. 
  • It also has a mane of hair and long, sickle-shaped claws around its face. Compared to brown and Asian black bears, it is lankier.
  • When sloth bears raid termite nests or beehives, their nostrils can seal, shielding the animals from dust or insects. 
  • Sloth bears are the only bears that routinely carry their young on their backs.
  • Scientific Classification
    • Kingdom: Animalia
    • Phylum: Chordata
    • Class: Mammalia
    • Order: Carnivora
    • Family: Ursidae
    • Subfamily: Ursinae
    • Genus: Melursus
    • Species: Ursinus
  • Due to their influence on fruits and insects, sloth bears are crucial to ecosystems. They aid in the dispersal of the seeds of the plants they consume. They also consume significant numbers of termites to regulate their population development.

Evolution of Sloth Bear

  • The Early Pleistocene may have been when sloth bears evolved into their modern state. The humerus of a contemporary sloth bear is identical to a Pleistocene fossilized humerus piece discovered in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool Basin. Some scientists believe that the preserved skulls of a bear known as Melursus Theobaldi from the Early Pleistocene or Early Pliocene found in the Shivalik’s reflect a transitional stage between sloth and primordial brown bears.
  • Although M. Theobald’s palate was the same size as the earlier species, its teeth were intermediate in size between sloth bears and other bear species, supporting the notion that it is the sloth bear’s direct progenitor. The Middle Pliocene is when sloth bears most likely first appeared and progressed in the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear exhibits convergent evolution.

Characteristics of a Sloth Bear

  • Common name: Sloth Bear
  • Scientific name: Melursus ursinus
  • Type: Mammals
  • Diet: Omnivore
  • Group name: Solitary
  • Average lifespan in captivity: Up to 40 years
  • Size: 5 to 6 feet; tail: 2.7 to 4.7 inches
  • Weight: 120 to 310 pounds
  • Even though they are medium-sized, mature sloth bears may weigh anywhere from 55 and 105 kg (121 to 231 lb) for females and 80 to 145 kg (176 to 320 lb) for males. 
  • According to one study, nominate bears in India typically weigh 83.3 kg (184 lb) for females and 93.2 kg (205 lb) for males. Males and females of the Sri Lankan species M. u. inornatus may weigh up to 104.5 kg (230 lb) and 68.2 kg (150 lb), respectively. 
  • Sri Lankan bears may be up to 30% lower in body mass than bears of other races and appear to have far more significant size sexual dimorphism. Females often have more hair between their shoulders in addition to being smaller than males.
  • Sloth bears have long, broad muzzles, short jaws, and bulbous snouts with large nostrils. They can suck up a lot of insects because they have lengthy lower lips that can extend over the outside of their nostrils and no upper incisors. Because they do not eat as much grass as other bears, their premolars and molars are smaller. 
  • Due to the quantity of dirt that adults suck up and chew when eating insects, their teeth are often damaged. The rear of the palate is long and broad.
  • The 10 cm (4 in) long, sickle-shaped, blunt claws are well-developed on abnormally huge paws. A hairless web connects their toe pads. Their tail, which may reach a length of 15 to 18 centimeters, is the longest in the bear family (6–7 in). Large and floppy ears are present. Only the sloth bear has ears covered with lengthy hair.
  • Besides a white Y- or V-shaped mark on the breast, sloth bears have all-black hair (rusty on certain specimens). The coat is long, shaggy, and untidy. It is incredibly thick behind the neck and between the shoulders, producing a mane that may be 30 cm (12 in) long.
  • Semi-naked areas can be found on the belly and under the legs. Sloth bears typically resemble Asian black bears in size. Still, they are easily distinguished by their shaggier hair, white claws, and typically rangier body. With a longer, narrower skull shape (especially the snout), looser-looking, flappier lips, and a lighter muzzle color, their head and mouth stand out significantly from those of a black bear.

Distribution and Habitat of Sloth Bear

  • India, Nepal’s Terai, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka have moderate climate zones that are part of the sloth bear’s worldwide range. On the Indian subcontinent, it may be found in various habitats, such as moist and dry tropical forests, savannahs, scrublands, and grasslands below 1,500 m (4,900 ft), and dry forests in Sri Lanka below 300 m (980 ft). In Bangladesh, it is a regional extinct species.

Behavior and Ecology of Sloth Bear

  • Sloth bears may roam in pairs as adults. Males are frequently seen being kind to cubs. They could clash over food. They move slowly and haltingly, putting their feet down in a loud, flapping motion. They occasionally climb to forage and rest, but they don’t do so to flee from predators since they prefer to stand their ground.
  •  They can gallop faster than running humans can.
  • As the main line of protection against assaults by predators, sloth bear moms carry their children up instead of sending them up trees. Predators such as tigers, leopards, and other bears may pose a hazard to the cubs.
  • They can climb on trees that are easier to reach, but because sloth bears have long claws, they cannot do so rapidly or on many different surfaces. Sloth bear cubs are likely more adept climbers than adults due to their more diminutive stature and yet shorter claws. They are also skilled swimmers and tend to go into the water to play.
  • Sloth bears use their forepaws to scrape trees and their sides to rub against them to mark their territory. Sloth bears have been recorded making a variety of noises and vocalizations. Howls, squeals, yells, barks, and trumpet-like cries are uttered during combative interactions. At the same time, puffing is used as a warning signal. When separated, cubs yell, but females grunt-whicker to stay in touch with them.

Reproduction of Sloth Bear

  • Sloth bears breed differently in parts of the world; in India, they mate in April, May, and June and give birth in late December or early January. In Sri Lanka, it happens all year long. 
  • Sows often give birth in caves or shelters under rocks after 210 days gestation period. Typically, there are one, two, or very rarely three cubs in a litter. Cubs are born without eyes; they develop them after four weeks. 
  • Compared to most other bear species, sloth bear cubs mature swiftly. They begin walking a month after birth, become independent at 24-36 months, and reach sexual maturity at three years.
  • The tiny cubs ride on their mother’s back until they are a third of her size whenever she walks, runs, or climbs a tree. Cubs keep their unique riding stances through combat. It might take two to three years between litters.

Dietary Habits  of Sloth Bear

  • Sloth bears are skilled termite and ant hunters who detect their prey by smell. 
  • They can find insects three feet underground because of their strong sense of smell. 
  • Like other bears, they do not establish feeding packs.
  • Sloths may use fruit, plant materials, carrion, and relatively infrequently other animal bears to enhance their meals. They prefer mangoes, sugar cane, jackfruit, and the pods of the golden shower tree.
  • In March and April, they consume the falling petals of Mowha trees. Honey is a substantial favorite food of sloth bears.
  • Sows are said to vomit a combination of half-digested jackfruit, wood apples, and fragments of honeycomb when feeding their offspring. The cubs are given this sticky stuff once it has dried into a round, dark yellow lump-like bread. Some Indian people regard this “bear’s bread” as a delicacy.
  • Rarely, sloth bears might develop an addiction to hotel waste, visiting trash cans all year long, even in crowded places.

Relationship of Sloth Bear with other Animals

  • Although tigers have been killing bears, they typically avoid sloth bears. But it is not unusual to find sloth bear fur among tiger scats. Commonly, sloth bears are hunted by tigers by waiting for them near termite mounds, sneaking up on them, grabbing them by the backs of their necks, and bringing them to the ground with their weight. 
  • One tiger is said to have broken its prey’s back with its paw, waiting for the paralyzed bear to exhaust itself in attempting to flee.
  • Sloth bears rush at tigers while yelling when they come face to face. Since sloth bears may inflict major injuries with their claws, most tigers give up the hunt if the bears become aware of their presence before they pounce; a juvenile or fully grown tiger would often flee from an assertive sloth bear.
  • Even the noises emitted by sambar deer cause dread in sloth bears since tigers are known to imitate their cries to lure them.

Status and Conservation of Sloth Bear

  • Less than 20,000 sloth bears are thought to still exist in the wild in Sri Lanka and the Indian subcontinent, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). 
  • The fundamental problem of declining habitat, which is the cause of the conflict between people and bears, may be improved by governmental or community-based reforestation initiatives.
  • Their number increases when sloth bears dwell in well-known areas that safeguard animals like tigers and elephants. Directly managed reserves have the potential to save the sloth bear. Thus they must be encouraged in cases when sloth bears become accustomed to visiting communities with a rise in the incidence of unintentional assaults on humans, managing trash, especially hotel waste with food.

Relationship of Sloth Bear with Humans

  • Attack on Humans: Sloth bears are one of the most violent extant bears. 
  • Due to huge human populations typically immediately surrounding reserves that keep bears, hostile contacts and assaults are very regular. In some instances, attacks appear to be a reaction to encountering people accidentally. 
  • Statistically speaking, this is the bear species that attacks people most frequently. 
  • Tamability: From the 13th century through the pre-Mughal era, dancing bears were a well-liked amusement in India. 
  • The Qalandars, who followed the custom of hunting sloth bears for entertainment, were frequently used in the Mughal emperors’ palaces to put on shows with trained bears.
  • Even though the act was outlawed in 1972, up to 800 dancing bears were occasionally spotted in India’s streets in the second half of the 20th century, particularly along the route connecting Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur.
  • They often bought sloth bear cubs from traffickers and poachers at six months. They were taught to dance and obey directions via forceful stimuli and malnutrition. 
  • To prevent males from gravely hurting their handlers, they were castrated at a young age and had their teeth removed at age one. Four-foot leashes are tied to the nose rings on the bears. Malnutrition caused some bears to go blind.

Sloth Bear Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about the Sloth Bear across 33 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching kids about the Sloth Bear, which is named for its sluggish habits. It has weak vision and hearing but a keen sense of smell. Its large bottom lip and mouth, used to eat insects, have earned it the nickname “labiated bear.”

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Sloth Bear Facts
  2. Anatomy of Sloth Bear
  3. King of My Own Kingdom
  4. Word Connect
  5. What’s The Difference?
  6. Generations in Survival
  7. Fact Check
  8. Infographics
  9. Mind Test
  10. Define Me!
  11. Life in the Wild

Frequently Asked Questions

Is sloth bears laziness?

Contrary to its name, the sloth bear is far from idle – it has an extended snout that it uses with its lips to form a vacuum-like seal to draw insects out of holes, crevices, and fissures.

Why is it called a sloth bear?

George Shaw, a European zoologist, named the sloth bear because it has long claws and different teeth. He thought that these characteristics connected it to tree sloths. Like their namesake mammals, sloth bears have been seen hanging upside down from tree branches!

Is sloth bears violent?

Sloth bears can have a hostile attitude towards humans, making them one of the most dangerous creatures.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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