Sloth Bears - Taxonomy
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae
Species: Melursus ursinus
Common name: Sloth Bears
Indian names: Hindi – Bhalu, Gujarati – Reech, Marathi – Asval, Tamil/Kannada/Malayalam – Karadi, Telugu – Elugu banti, Bengali – Bhalluk.

The sloth bear belongs to the family ursidae which includes all the eight species of bears mentioned earlier.The sloth bear is small and usually black with long shaggy coat. Brown and grey hairs may be mixed with the dark coat, cinnamon and reddish individuals have also been reported.It has a distinctive whitish or yellow chest patch in the shape of a wide ‘U’ or ‘Y’.The snout is light coloured and mobile. The nostrils can be closed voluntarily.It is thought that reduced hair on the muzzle may be an adaptation for coping with the defensive secretions of termites. The adults are 150 cms to 190 cms long. Males weigh 80 to 140 kilograms and females 55 to 95 kilograms.

The sloth bears are found in the forested areas and in grasslands, predominantly at lower elevations. They apparently favour drier forests and have been reported to prefer areas with rocky outcrops. The sloth bears are found in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. Mating occurs in May, June and July. Gestation lasts for 6 to 7 months. Most litter consists of 1 or 2 cubs. But litters of three have also been reported. The cubs stay with their mother for 2 or more years of age. The sloth bears are solitary animals except the females with cubs and are omnivores. They feed extensively on termites and have special adaptations for doing this. The naked lips are capable of protruding and the inner pair of upper incisors are missing, which forms a gap through which the termites can be sucked.The sucking noises made by feeding in this manner can apparently be heard from over 100 meters away. They also eat eggs, other insects, honey combs and various kinds of vegetation.

Sloth bears are nocturnal and occupy the home range that they seem happy to share with other sloth bears. Male bears have an average range of 13 sq kms. This is much smaller than most of the other bears probably due to the fact that they do not suffer from seasonal fluctuation of food supply ( ants and termites are available round the year ). This means they do not have to travel far in search of food. They use a variety of facial expressions and calls to communicate with one another. They are also very good tree climbers.

The sloth bears are killed by the farmers as they damage their crops and are also hunted for their prized gal bladders which are used in medicine in Asia especially China. The dried gal bladder of a sloth bear fetches as much as 50000$ in the international market.

The sloth bears were originally classified as belonging to the sloth family of south America in 1700s and were named as bear sloths. The reason was their slow gait and ability to climb trees and the massive consumption of insects, especially termites. Once the first live sloth bear was shipped from India to Europe in 1810, the scientists corrected the error and renamed them. The life span of a sloth bear in the wild is unknown and lives upto 40 years in captivity.

The females reach sexual maturity at the age of 3 to 4 years. When mating the sloth bears are loud and often engage in hugging or mock fighting. The new borns are blind at birth, their eyes open in about 3 weeks. For cubs extensive knowledge of the surrounding is critical to their survival and the mother is considered a patient and sensitive teacher. The male bears do not display the predatory instincts towards the cubs as observed in other species, therefore their survival rate is quite high. Females breed in intervals of 2 to 3 years.

The sloth bears are listed as Appendix I in CITES in conservation status. They are classified as vulnerable by IUCN.