Animal Facts - Sloth Bear
Sloth Bear Appearance
The Sloth Bear is one of the smaller-sized bears.
Adult males and females are about the same length from head to tail, up to 1.9 metres (6.25 feet).
And they are about the same shoulder height, standing on all four legs, up to 92 centimetres (36 inches).
Males weigh between 91 and 145 kilgrams (200 – 320 pounds) and females slightly less: 55 to 95 kilograms (121 – 210 pounds).
Sloth Bears have long, shaggy coats with thick, rough hair, especially round the neck, which is like a mane.
Their ears are small but they look big and floppy because of all the hair behind them. The hair on their face is shorter, and they have a long, dirty white or grey muzzle (snout).
The bears’ coat colours vary from black to reddish brown, and they have a U shaped patch of dirty white or yellow hair on their chest.
The thick body hair protects them from insects, twigs, branches and rain. They have thinner hair on their stomachs and the inside of their legs, which helps them keep cool in the tropical heat.
Their tail is about 6 inches long (7 centimeters), which is longer than other bear species.
Sloth Bears eat a lot of termites, ants and other insects and their bodies have adapted (changed over time) so they can dig and suck up this food.
Their front legs are longer than their back legs, their front paws turn in and they have long curved claws up to 7.6 centimetres (3 inches). This makes them very good at digging. The Sun Bear also has legs and feet like this.
Sloth Bears’ lips stick out and move easily and they have no front teeth. This makes it easier for them to suck up insects.
They can also close their nostrils, to keep termites and dirt out when they push their muzzle into a termite mound or ant nest.