Dog Bear Facts
Dog Bear Facts
2. It is also known as the honey bear, the dog bear and the Malay bear. This last common name comes from the fact that the sun bear is found in the rainforests of southeast Asia, including India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia and-of course-Malaysia.
3. The sun bear is the smallest bear and has a more dog-like appearance than any of the other species. It has bandy legs and the paws have hairless soles and long powerful claws for digging and climbing.
4. The black fur, unlike other bears’, is very short, dense and repels water.
5. These bears are roughly half the size of the American black bear, with an average adult weight between 60 to 145 pounds and measuring 48 to 60 inches in length.
6. But don’t let their size fool you! Sun bears have excellent hearing and are considered to be very aggressive and will attack without cause. Strong jaws and sharp claws make this animal one to avoid.
7. Little knowledge is available regarding sun bear reproduction and cub rearing in the wild. Usually females are seen with only one cub at a time, and only rarely are twin seen. 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.
8. Much like the moon bear of Tibet, its name comes from a golden yellow crescent-shaped patch of fur on its chest. They have a very long, flexible tongue which is used to lap up honey and insects.
9. A sun bear’s tongue is 25 cm long-that’s almost the length of a ruler!
10. These bears inhabit dense tropical rain forest, spending much of their time high up in the trees, using their long claws to climb easily in search of fruits.
11. They even make nests of broken branches high in the canopy in which to sleep. On the ground, they continually search through the leaves and fallen branches for food. As food is available all year round in the tropical forest these bears do not hibernate.
12. Less is known about the sun bear than any of the other bears of the world. Their range today is diminishing, but they are still found in the tropical forests of Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra. A few are believed to be left in India or southern China.
13. Sun bears eat many plants and fruits including mushrooms and the growing tips of palm trees. The bears have a particular fondness for honey, using their powerful claws to tear open bees' nests in trees in search of this delicacy. They also eat a variety of insects, including termites, and any lizards, rodents, eggs or even small mammals that they come across in their constant search for food.
14. They are mainly nocturnal feeders, spending much of the daylight hours sleeping in trees.
15. Over-hunting is the big threat for the sun bear: their fur and bile are used in traditional medicine.
Comments
Post a Comment