Facts About Sun Bear

Facts About Sun Bear

1. Bears were once common throughout many parts of the world. Today, all eight species of bear are under threat mainly from human activities.

2. The sun bear's name is derived from the golden colored crescent shaped patch of fur on its chest. It is also known as the honey bear because of its extreme fondness of honey, the dog bear because of its size, and the Malay bear for its geographical location.

3. Bears are intelligent and curious animals that have adapted well to live in some of the most inhospitable areas of the world.

4. The smallest of the world’s eight living bear species. Bornean sun bears seem to be the smallest and possibly subspecies status is warranted (H. malayanus eurispylus).

5. On Borneo the sun bear weighs only about 35 to 65 kilograms (75 to 145 pounds), but bears in Sumatra and  on mainland Southeast Asia weigh between 50-80 kg, although little data from the wild is available.

6. Almost every sun bear has an individually distinct  chest patch that is typically yellow, orange, or white, but may sometimes be speckled or spotted.

7. The sun bear has a broad muzzle that is relatively short, and a large head that gives the bear a dog like appearance.

8. It has small rounded ears, a fleshy forehead that sometimes looks wrinkled, and an extremely long tongue (longest of all bear species).

9. Its short sleek fur is usually black, but can occasionally range from reddish brown to gray.

10. Sun bears are omnivores, and have primarily feed on termites, ants and beetle larvae, bee larvae and honey, and a large  variety of fruits, when available. Occasionally certain flowers are eaten. Near the forest edge in gardens they occasionally feed on the growing tips of palm trees, and occasionally small mammals and bird eggs.  their massive jaw muscles make it possible to bite through the bark of trees in search of insects and honey, and their long tongues help them to extract these foods from crevices.

11. The sun bear is believed to be a mostly solitary animal, like other bears.

12. The sun bear does not undergo winter sleep (hibernation), because its varied food sources are typically available year-round in its tropical habitat.

13. Female sun bears also only have 4 active nipples, as opposed to many other bear species with larger litters that have 6 active nipples for nursing cubs.

14. Sun bears give birth in dens or hollow trees where the cub remains protected for some period of time until it is able to venture out to accompany the mother while she forages and travels.